CORRECT 
FRENCH 



PC 2111 
.B63 
Copy 1 



By Juliette Bing 




Price, $1.50 



Correct French 

EASILY LEARNED 



A SIMPLIFIED HANDBOOK ON 

PRONUNCIATION FOR 

BEGINNERS 



By 

JULIETTE BING 

of Paris 



1917 

Published by the Author 

Charlotte, N. C. 



^c 



c 



Copyright 1917 
By Juliette Bing 



• 



©CU477447 

NOV -7 1917 

"7 I e | . 



QUEEN CITY PRINTING CO., CHARLOTTE, N. C. 



PREFACE 

It is a fact well known to both instructors and students that 
one of the greatest difficulties of the French language is the 
correct pronunciation. 

In order to obviate that difficulty I have tried to give a 
reliable rule embracing each case, giving as an illustration the 
equivalent sound in English words. Each rule and exception 
is accompanied by numerous words intended to facilitate the 
work of the teacher by supplying examples which at the same 
time afford a large vocabulary. I hope I have reached my aim, 
having used orally this system of pronunciation which gave, 
indeed, unexpected results, especially with beginners who were 
enabled to read French with a pure pronunciation, after a few 
lessons. 

After meeting with so much success in my personal experi- 
ence, and being urged by my friends and pupils, I have resolved 
to classify my compiling of many years of practical experience 
and publish it in the form of a treatise. 

Everybody will agree with me in the statement that the 
acquirement of a language is only superficial and cannot be 
considered an accomplishment if the possessor of it is not able, 
besides reading and speaking correctly, to understand also the 
language when spoken. 

What benefit would be derived from knowing French suffi- 
ciently to understand the meaning of a French book or of a 
menu while being utterly incompetent in the pronunciation of 
the same? 

Consider the disappointment resulting from the discovery of 
the utter impossibility to recognize the words when spoken by 
a native. How can people expect to understand others if they 
cannot pronounce properly themselves? While on the other 
hand, think of the gratification derived from the certainty of a 
perfect pronunciation, which removes all hesitation, all diffi- 
dence on the part of the speaker, by the certainty that his 
knowledge is founded on reliable principles, and how hand- 
somely he will find himself rewarded when he will readily 



4 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

understand oral French when coming in contact with French 
people, or at the theatre or when going abroad. 

For, remember that the French language is used all over the 
world, in every country, civilized or not, for the reason that it 
is the only language authorized in diplomatic correspondence, 
having been unanimously acknowledged to be the clearest and 
less liable to misconstruction. 

This treatise is especially dedicated to students who hitherto 
have not been able to acquire the French pronunciation. To 
those I would say, Cheer up ; cast aside your discouragement, 
try once more and if you study faithfully this system, I guar- 
antee that you will be surprised to see how easy it is to pro- 
nounce, read, speak and understand French. 

My earnest wish is that my little book will help all persons 
interested in French study and that it will be considered a 
reliable and indispensable companion. 

MLLE. JULIETTE BING, 

de Paris, France. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER 

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. 
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in 
Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our 
trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us ; and 
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine 
is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. 
Amen. 



L'ORAISON DOMINICALE 

Notre Pere qui etes dans les cieux, que votre nom soit 
sanctifie : Que votre regne arrive : Que votre volonte soit f aite 
sur la terre comme au ciel: Donnez-nous aujourd 'hui notre 
pain quotidien: Pardonnez-nous nos offenses comme nous les 
pardonnons a ceux qui nous ont offenses : Ne nous laissez pas 
succomber a la tentation, mais delivrez-nous du mal. Ainsi 
soit-il. 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

THE LETTERS 

The French alphabet contains twenty-five letters. 

The ancient and usual pronunciation is : 

A a is sounded ah, as in far, bar. 

B b is sounded bay, as in bay-shore. 

C c is sounded say, as in Say-ville. 

D d is sounded day, as in Day-ton 

E e is sounded ay, as in ail-ment 

F f is sounded ef, as in ef-fect. 

G g is sounded zhay, as in Je-ru-sa-lem. 

H h is sounded ash, as in ash. 

I i is sounded e, as in inn. 

J j is sounded zhee, as in jeer. 

K k is sounded cah, as in ca-rd. 

L, 1 is sounded el, (same as in English). 

M m is sounded em, (same as in English). 

N n is sounded en, (same as in English). 

O o is sounded o, (same as in English). 

P p is sounded pay, as in pay-ment. 

Q q is sounded ku, as in cu-rious. 

R r is sounded err, as in er-ror. 

S s is sounded es, (same as in English). 

T t is sounded tay, as in tai-lor. 

U u is like the u in the word gude, suss. 

V v is sounded vay, as in va-por. 
X x is sounded ix, as in mix. 

Y y is (from the Greek) e-grec 
Z z is sounded zed, as in zest. 



THE ALPHABET / 

THE LETTERS 

The French alphabet contains twenty-five letters. 
The new names of the letters are : 

A a is sounded ah, as in far, bar. 

B b is sounded be, as in jab-be-ring. 

C c is sounded ke, as in mar-ke-ting. 

D d is sounded de, as in mur-de-ring. 

E e is sounded er, as in herb. 

F f is sounded fe, as in of-fe-ring. 

G g is sounded ghe, as in gher-kin. 

H h is sounded her, as in her-mit. 

I i is sounded i, as in fish, rich. 

J j is sounded je, as in sur-ge-ry. 

K k is sounded ke, as in croc-ke-ry. 

L 1 is sounded le, as in artil-le-ry. 

M m is sounded me, as in mes-me-rism. 

N n is sounded ne, as in en-ne-my. 

O o is sounded o, as in o-pen. 

P p is sounded pe, as in ap-pe-tite. 

Q q is sounded ke, as in moc-ke-ry. 

R r is sounded re, as in re-deemer. 

S s is sounded se, as in nur-se-ry. 

T t is sounded te, as in bat-te-ry. 

U u is sounded as uin gude (Scotch), ii in griin, suss. 

V v is sounded ve, as in re-ve-ry. 
X x is sounded kse, as in con-ve-x. 

Y y is called e-grec. 

Z z is sounded ze, as in snee-ze. 

W (DOOBLE-VAY) (DOUBLE V) 

W, w, called double v, might be added, as many foreign 
words which have that letter have been adopted in the French 
language, it has the sound of a simple v. 

Walter is pronounced Valter (Val-tayr) (ter as in pater). 

William is pronounced Villiam. 

U has no corresponding sound in English. The u in gude, 
as the Scotch people pronounce it, is a good illustration ; or the 
ii in suss or in griin of the German language are similar to the 
French u. 

In order to obtain the right sound of u it is necessary to 
place the lips as for whistling and pronounce e. You will 
readily acquire the sound of the French u. Then you must 
practice by pronouncing u preceded by divers consonants as : 
b-bu, d-du, f-fu, 1-lu, m-mu, n-nu, p-pu, r-ru, s-su, etc. 



8 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

RULE FOR READING 

DIVISION OF SYLLABLES 

In order to pronounce correctly a French word, it is nec- 
essary, for beginners, to divide it into syllables. 

Remember that, whenever it is possible, a syllable must begin 
with a consonant. Therefore, when there is only one consonant 
inside of a word, that consonant belongs to the vowel which 
follows it (never to the vowel preceding it) and forms a syllable 
with it. 

SYLLABIC ACCENT OR STRESS 

In French, each syllable of a word must be pronounced 
smoothly, the voice resting upon the last, unless it ends in e 
mute, in which case the syllable before the last is slightly ac- 
cented. 

DIFFERENCE IN SYLLABIC DIVISION 
BETWEEN ENGLISH AND FRENCH 

FRENCH SYLLABIC DIVISION ENGLISH SYLLABIC DIVISION 

a-to-me at'om 

com-pa-rai-son com-par'i-son 

im-pos-si-ble im-pos'si-ble 

gou-ver-neur gov'ern-or 

cho-co-lat choc'o-late 

bi-ga-mie big"a-my 

hyp-po-po-tame hyp"po-pot'a-mus 

im-pe-tu-o-si-te im-pet'u'os'i-ty 

e-ty-mo-lo-gie et"y-mol'o-gy 

al-pha-be-ti-que al-pha-bet'i-cal 

When a vowel is followed by two consonants the first con- 
sonant forms a syllable with the vowel preceding it and the 
second consonant forms a syllable with the vowel following it. 
The syllabic division takes place between the two consonants. 

EXAMPLE 

res-pi-rer (to breathe) fes-ton (festoon) 

cir-cu-laire (circular) es-trade (platform) 

tes-ta-ment (testament) as-perge (asparagus) 

mas-ca-rade (masquerade) trans-pa-rent (transparent) 
ar-ti-chaut (artichoke) 

When two or more vowels follow each other, the syllabic 
division takes place between the two vowels which do not form 
a diphthong. 



SYLLABIC DIVISION 



glu-ant (sticky) 
o-le-a-gi-neux (oleaginous) 
sta-tu-aire (statuary) 
fruc-tu-eux (fruitful) 
mu-tu-el (mutual) 



EXAMPLE 

su-a-vi-te (suavity) 
nu-age (cloud) 
o-a-sis (oasis) 
su-eur (perspiration) 
Ra-oul (Ralph) 



When there is only one consonant inside of a word, if that 
consonant is m or n, as it is pronounced with the following 
syllable, the vowel preceding it loses its nasal sound. 

EXAMPLE 
i-nac-tion (inaction) hu-ma-ni-te (humanity) 

ho-mi-ci-de (manslaughter) a-nis (aniseed) 
i-na-ni-me (inanimate) i-nu-tile (useless) 

i-ma-ge (image) o-met-tre (to omit) 

i-ni-ti-a-tion (initiation) u-ni-te (unity) 

Silent h has no value whatever, and the consonant which 
precedes it must be linked to the vowel which follows it. 

Example 
bonheur (happiness), pronounced bo-nheur 
inhabile (not clever), pronounced i-nha-bile 
inhumain (inhuman), pronounced i-nhu-main 
inhabitable (unfit to dwell in), pronounced i-nha-bi-ta-ble 
inherent (inherent), pronounced i-nhe-rent 
inhospitalier (inhospitable), pronounced i-nhos-pi-ta-li-er 
inhumer (to inhume), pronounced i-nhu-mer 

If these words were pronounced according to the written 
divisions, they would begin with a nasal sound, but they do not. 

CONSONANTS 

The consonants are almost always silent at the end of 
words unless followed by a final e mute. 

EXAMPLE 



MASCULINE 




EEMININE 






Pronounced 




Pronounced 


petit (small in size) 


pe-ti 


petite 


pe-tit 


grand (large, tall) 


gran 


grande 


grand 


fort (strong) 


for ■ 


forte 


fort 


blond (fair) 


blon 


blonde 


blond 


chaud (warm) 


chau 


chaude 


chaud 


froid (cold) 


froi 


froide 


froid 


mauvais (bad quality) 


mauvai 


mauvaise 


mauvaiz 


laid (unsightly) 


lai 


laide 


laid 



10 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



EXCEPTIONS 

C, f, 1, r, final, are frequently sounded and are exceptions 
to the general rule. 



avec (with) 
bref (short) 
fil (thread) 
soir (evening) 
due (duke) 
bceuf (ox) 
sel (salt) 
noir (black) 



EXAMPLE 

roc (rock) 
canif (pen knife) 
cruel (cruel) 
peur (fright) 
bouc (buck) 
neuf (nine) 
mortel (mortal) 
tresor (treasure) 



sec (dry.) 

soif (thirst) 

car naval ( carni v al ) 

miroir (mirror) 

choc (shock) 

chef (chief) 

nil (nile) 

or (gold) 



The final consonant of a word is generally carried to the 
next word when it begins with a vowel or an h mute ; s, when 
carried, is sounded like z in zone. 

EXAMPLE 

les-arbres (the trees), pronounce les-zarbres 
petitenfant (little child), pronounce peti-tenfant 
tres-heureux (very happy), pronounce tres-zheureux 
bien-aimable (very amiable), pronounce bien-naimable 
bon-appetit (good appetite), pronounce bon-nappetit 
dix-eleves (ten pupils), pronounce di-zeleves 

But when the letter n is the final of a substantive it is not 
sounded on the next word, though it begins with a vowel, thus 
the following are pronounced in two distinct words : 

EXAMPLE 

une intention excellente (an excellent intention) 

un pain exquis (exquisite bread) 

un vin agreable (an agreeable wine) 

un lien etroit (a close connection) 

The final t is carried in est (is) but never in et (and). 

a Louise et a Marie (to Louise and to Mary) 

Elle est a Paris (She is at Paris) 



ACCENTS 1 1 

ACCENTS 

There are three accents. They give a peculiar sound to the 
vowels over which they are placed, and particularly to the e. 

1. The acute accent (l'accent aigu). It has the shape of 
a comma and is formed from right to left (/). 

2. The grave accent (l'accent grave), which is formed 
from left to right (v). 

3. The circumflex accident (l'accent circonflexe), which 
is formed from the two others and has the shape of a little 
sharp roof (a). 

These marks never affect a syllable. They can only modify 
the sound of a vowel over which they are placed. 

Sometimes they have a mere orthographic value. They 
must never be neglected in writing. 

IMPORTANT RULE 

Remember that the consonants are almost always silent at 
the end of words, unless followed by a final e mute. 

SIMPLE VOWELS 
E 

1. e, without accent, or e mute (e muet), is entirely silent 
at the end of a word, but the consonant or vowel which pre- 
cedes it must be sounded. 

DxampIvDs For e mute: 
dame (lady), sainte (saint), brave (brave) plume (feather), 
boue (mud), visage (visage), rue (street), utile (useful), 
vie (life), pomme (apple). 

2. e unaccented or mute is sounded like the e of her in 
the nine monosyllables following: 

me (me), te (thee), le (the), que (that), ne (not), Je (I), 
se (one's self), de (of or from), ce (this or that). 

The e of these monosyllables is elided when the following 
word begins with a vowel or silent h, and an apostrophe marks 
the elision. 

For the sake of practice, the following sentence should be 
carefully pronounced. 

II s'etonne de ce que je ne te le redemande pas 

(He wonders that I do not ask it back from thee.) 



12 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

3. When the unaccented e or e mute is placed inside of a 
word and followed by one consonant only, that consonant be- 
longs to the next syllable. (Because, in French, the rule is that 
a syllable must, if possible, begin with a consonant.) And the 
e preceding that consonant is sounded like the e in her. 

EXAMPLE 

che-val (horse) me-lon (melon) bre-telle (suspender) 

de-mi (half) re-mede (remedy) me-nu (bill of fare) 

re-cu (receipt) che-min (way) 

4. When e mute is placed in the middle of a word having 
more than two syllables, the word is pronounced as if there 
was no e in it. 

Example 
les Tuileries (Palace in Paris) is pronounced Twil-ry 
medecin (physician), is pronounced maid-cin 
cadenas (padlock), is pronounced cad-na 
betterave (sugar beet), is pronounced bet-ra-ve 
imprimerie (printing house), is pronounced in-prim-ry 
primevere (primrose), is pronounced prim-vayr 
acheteur (buyer), is pronounced ash-tur 

When the unaccented e or e mute is followed by two con- 
sonants, the syllabic division takes place between the two con- 
sonants, so that the e mute preceding the two consonants 
forms a syllable with the consonant which follows it imme- 
diately and the second consonant begins the next syllable. Con- 
sequently if the first consonant is r, er must be sounded like er 
in error. 

EXAMPLE 

merci (thanks), is pronounced mer-ci 
perdu (l° s t)> is pronounced per-du 
berceau (cradle) is pronounced ber-ceau 
vertu (virtue), is pronounced ver-tu 
clerge (clergy), is pronounced cler-ge 
serrure (lock), is pronounced ser-rure 

If the first consonant is s, es must be sounded like ess in 
essence. 

EXAMPLE 
feston (festoon), is pronounced fes-ton 
esclave (slave), is pronounced es-cla-ve 
esprit (spirit), is pronounced es-prit 
estime (esteem), is pronounced es-time 
estrade (platform), is pronounced es-trade 
blessure (wound), is pronounced bles-sure 






simple; vowels 13 

e mute is silent in the infinitive of the verb s'asseoir (to sit 
down), which is pronounced s'as-soir and in the infinitive, fu- 
ture and conditional of the verb surseoir (to postpone), which 
is pronounced sur-soir. 

e mute is silent in the future and conditional of verbs 
whose infinitive ends in uer, ier, yer, as : 

remuer (to stir), Je remuerai (I shall stir) is pronounced 
re-mu-rai 

etudier (to study), Vous etudierez (you shall study), is pro- 
nounced e-tu-di-rez 

employer (to employ), Nous emploierions (we should em- 
ploy) is pronounced em-ploi-ri-ons 

ex is generally pronounced as in English. (Sometimes it 
is sounded egz as in example, and sometimes it is sounded eks 
as in extra). 

ex is sounded egz in: 

execution (execution) examiner (to examine) 

exercice (exercise) exiler (to exile) 

exiger (to exact) exagerer (to exaggerate) 

ex is sounded eks in : 

Alexandre (Alexander) reflexion (reflection) 

excursion (excursion) exquis (exquisite) 

extase (ecstacy) excentrique (eccentric) 

e mute has the sound of a, as in cat, mat, rat, (or) of a, in 
lamb, in the following words : 

femme (woman), is pronounced fam 
solennel (solemn), is pronounced so-la-nel 
indemniser (to indemnify), is pronounced in-dam-ni-ze 
indemnite (indemnity), is pronounced in-dam-ni-te 
hennir (to neigh), is pronounced ha-nir 
hennissement (neighing), is pronounced ha-nis-ment 

And in all the adverbs ending in emment which must be 
pronounced as if spelt amment: 

prudemment (prudently), pronounced pru-da-ment 
insolemment (insolently), pronounced in-so-la-ment 
recemment (recently), pronounced re-sa-ment 



14 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



1. e with an acute accent is called e ferme (closed e) because 
it is pronounced with the teeth almost closed. 

It must be sounded like the a in gate, mate, late. 

example: 
ble (wheat) marche (market) 

de (thimble) regenere (regenerated) 

ete (summer) venere (venerated) 

cafe (coffee) cree (created) 

bebe (baby) 

e is the only vowel over which the acute accent is used. 

2. The acute accent is used over the vowel e in the termi- 
nation te in words whose correspondent in English end in ty. 

FXAMPI^ 

Charite (charity), vanite (vanity), liberte (liberty), 
quantite (quantity), qualite (quality), 'comte (county) 

3. The acute accent is required over e preceding a final 
e mute. 

Ex ample 
idee (idea) guinee (guinea) 

musee (museum) livree (livery) 

fee (fairy) soiree (a whole evening) 

camee (cameo) maree (tide) 

dictee (dictation) 

4. The e preceding the vowels a, o, i, u, requires an acute 
accent. 

Example 
seance (session) creature (creature) 

leopard (leopard) meteore (meteor) 

cereale (cereal) fleau (flail) 

ocean (ocean) neant (nothingness) 

5. An acute accent is placed over the e ending the first per- 
son singular of the indicative present, in all verbs of the first 
conjugation, when they are used interrogatively. 

EXAMPLE 

aime-je? (do I love or like?) coupe-je? (do I cut?) 

ecoute-je? (do I listen?) tombe-je? (do I fall?) 

marche-je? (do I walk?) regarde-je? (do I look?) 
parle-je? (do I speak?) 






SIMPI^ VOWELS 15 

6. The e ending the Past Participle of all the verbs of the 
first conjugation requires an acute accent. 

Sxampi,3 
mange (eaten) chante (sung) 

avale (swallowed) danse (danced) 

admire (admired) sale (salted) 

7. An acute accent is placed over the e preceding the ter- 
mination ge. 

^XAMPU 

college (college) sacrilege (sacrilege) 

siege (siege) liege (cork) 

privilege (privilege) piege (snare) 

manege (riding school) soie-grege (raw silk) 

i preceding e must be distinctly sounded. 

SXAMPIvS 

ciel (heaven) biere (beer) Soulier (shoe) 

priere (prayer) nier (to deny) meunier (miller) 

lievre (hare) riviere (river) tablier (apron) 



1. e with a grave accent has the sound of e in met, get, 
let, fresh, mesh, etching, edge. 

e with a grave accent is called e ouvert (open e) because it 
is pronounced with the mouth open. 

KXAMPIyK 

pere (father) frere (brother) colere (anger) 

mere (mother) artere (artery) feve (bean) 

2. e requires a grave accent w'hen it is followed by a con- 
sonant and an e mute, except when the consonant is x, the e 
preceding x never having any accent, as in : 

convexe (convex) annexe (annex) 

circonflexe (circumflex) perplexe (perplex) 

EXAMPLE 

ere (era) souriciere (mouse trap) 

chere (dear) prophete (prophet) 

eleve (pupil) zele (zeal) 
sincere (sincere) 

The preceding rule applies to all the nouns and adjectives 
ending in er in the masculine and which form their feminine 
by the addition of e mute. The e preceding the re takes a 
grave accent. 



16 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



MASCULINE 

le boucher (the butcher) 
le laitier (the milkman) 
le boulanger (the baker) 
le jardinier (the gardener) 
l'epicier (the grocer) 
le fermier (the farmer) 
le meunier (the miller) 
le portier (the janitor) 



EXAMPLE 

FEMININE 

la bouchere (woman) 
la laitiere 
la boulangere 
la jardiniere 
l'epiciere 
la fermiere 
la meuniere 
la portiere 

If the syllable following the e is not mute, an acute accent 
instead of a grave accent is required over the e. 

EXAMPLE 

chere (dear) cheri (darling) 

severe (stern) severite (severity) 

eleve (pupil) elevation (elevation) 

pere (father) perir (to perish) 

mere (mother) merite (merit) 

frere (brother) confrerie (brotherhood) 

ulcere (ulcer) ulcere (ulcerated) 

fidele (faithful) fidelite (fidelity) 

3. If the mute syllable at the end of words has two different 
consonants the e which precedes them takes also the grave 
accent. Consequently 

A grave accent is required over the e preceding the termi- 
nations cle, gle, gre, gne, che, vre, fie, bre, tre, dre. 

EXAMPLE 

regne (reign) chevre (goat) zebre (zebra) siecle (century) 
meche (wick) trefle (clover) cedre (cedar) negre (negro) 

In the preceding words the combination of cl, gfl, gr, gn, ch, 
vr, fl, br, tr, dr, is considered as a single consonant. 

If the consonants are doubled in the mute final syllable, the 
e before them remains without accent. 



terre (earth) 
verre (glass) 
guerre (war) 
selle (saddle) 
messe (mass) 
tresse (braid) 
gemme (gem) 
dentelle (lace) 
vitesse (speed) 
toilette (toilet) 



EXAMPLE 

assiette (plate) 
belle (beautiful) 
serre (hot bed) 
deesse (goddess) 
serviette (napkin) 
allumette (match) 
Je grefre (I graft) 
detresse (distress) 
adresse (address) 
ombrelle (parasol) 



noisette (hazelnut) 
dilemme (dilemma) 
bretelle (suspender) 
II erre (he wanders) 
cannelle (cinnamon) 
equerre (square rule) 
brouette (wheelbarrow) 
steppe (desert in Russia) 
antenne (horn of a but- 
terfly) 



SIMPLE VOWEXS 



17 



4. The grave accent is also required over e in the termina- 
tion es when s is not the mark of the plural, but an essential 
and invariable part of the word. 

EXAMPLE 

abces (abscess) 
gres (stoneware) 
apres (after) 
exces (excess) 
congres (congress) 



tres (very) 
progres (progress) 
succes (success) 
proces (lawsuit) 
pres (near) 



deces (decease) 
expres (on purpose) 
acces (access) 



5. The grave accent is used also over the vowels a, e, u, to 
distinguish some words from others spelt alike, but of a dif- 
ferent meaning. These words are pronounced alike as the 
grave accent does not alter the sound of these vowels. 
a (has) a (to, at) des (some, any) des (as soon) 

la (the) la (there) ou (or) ou (where) 

The following words require a grave accent: 
deja (already) au dela (on the other side, 

hola! (hold! stop!) beyond) 

vorla (there is, that is) en dega (on this side) 

ca et la (here and there) 



1. e with the circumflex accent must be pronounced with 
the mouth open like e with the grave accent, but it is necessary 
to dwell a little on the e, as in the word there. The object of 
the circumflex accent being to lengthen or prolong the sound 
of the vowel over which it is placed. 

EXAMPLE 

tete (head) beche (spade) 

embleme (emblem) theme (theme) 

champetre (rural) chrysantheme (crysanthemum) 

chene (oak tree) eveque (bishop) 

2. The circumflex accent gives also a long sound to the 



vowels a, i, o, u. 
circumflex accent. 

pale (pale) 
age (age) 
atre (hearth) 
chale (shawl) 
dime (tithe) 



No dot is placed over the i that has the 



Example; 
diner (dinner) 
abimer (to spoil) 
gite (lodging) 
oter (to remove) 
tot (soon, early) 



cote (side) 
trone (throne) 
flute (flute) 
bruler (to burn) 
piqure (sting) 



18 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



3. The circumflex accent often denotes that a letter has 
been suppressed after the vowel over which it is placed, as in 
epitre, tete, bete, which formerly were spelt epistre, teste, 
beste. That letter which is generally an s has been preserved 
in about forty English words coming from the old French. 



EXAMPLE 



bete (beast) 
fete (feast) 
conquete (conquest) 
honnete (honest) 
crete (crest) 
vetement (vestment) 
foret (forest) 
tempete (tempest) 
arret (arrest) 
enquete (inquest) 
requete (request) 
interet (interest) 
pretre (priest) 
vepres (vespers) 
bapteme (baptism) 
chreme (chrism) 
hopital (hospital) 
rotir (to roast) 
chateau (castle) 
maitre (master) 



ile (isle) 

mat (mast) 

cote (coast) 

hote (host, guest) 

pate (paste) 

platre (plaster) 

albatre (alabaster) 

apotre (apostle) 

epitre (epistle) 

hate (haste) 

aile (aisle) 

chatiment (chastisement) 

batir (to baste) 

cloitre (cloister) 

batard (bastard) 

huitre (oyster) 

pature (pasture) 

tache (task) 

macher (to masticate) 

prevot (provost) 



4. The distinction between some words (paronymes) spelled 
the same, but of different meanings is sometimes determined 
by the circumflex accent: 



pecher (to sin) 

du (of the) 

cru (raw) 

mur (wall) 

sur (upon) 

tache (stain) 

jeune (young) 

tu (thou) 

chasse (hunt) 

un pecheur (a sinner) 

tacher (to spot) 

matin (morning) 



EXAMPLE 

pecher (to fish) 

du (due) 

cru (grown) 

mur (ripe) 

sur (certain) 

tache (task) 

jeune (fasting) 

tu (kept silent) 

chasse (shrine) 

un pecheur (a fisherman) 

tacher (to endeavor) 

matin (mastiff) 



simple: vowels 19 

5. The circumflex accent is used over the 6 of le notre 
(ours) and le votre (yours) to distinguish them from notre 
(our) and votre (your). 

6. The circumflex accent is used over the a, i, u, preceding 
the final termination mes and tes of the first and second per- 
sons plural of the past definite or historical sense in the four 
conjugations. 

EXAMPLE 
FIRST CONJUGATION THIRD CONJUGATION 

Nous parlames (we spoke) Nous recumes (we received) 
Vous parlates (you spoke) Vous regutes (you received) 

SECOND CONJUGATION FOURTH CONJUGATION 

Nous finimes (we finished) Nous vendimes (we sold) 
Vous finites (you finished) Vous vendites (you sold) 

7. The circumflex accent is used also over the last vowel 
of the third person singular of the imperfect subjunctive, not 
to be confounded with the same person singular of the past 
definite or historical sense, which is spelled the same, except in 
the first conjugation. 

'EXAMPLE 
PAST DEFINITE 

II parla (he spoke) II recut (he received) 

II finit (he finished) II vendit (he sold) 

IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE 

Qu'il parlat (that he might speak) 
Qu'il finit (that he might finish) 
Qu'il recut (that he might receive) 
Qu'il vendit (that he might sell) 

8. The circumflex accent is used over the i of the verbs 
whose infinitive ends in aitre or oitre, as : 

paitre (to graze, as cattle) connaitre (to be acquainted) 
naitre (to be born) paraitre (to appear) 

croitre (to grow) 

and their derivatives 



es 

es is sounded like a in make, fate, date, in the following 
monosyllabic words : 

les (the) ses (his, her, its) tu es (thou art) 

mes (my) ces (these, those) il est (he is) 

tes (thy) des (some, any) 



20 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



er, ez, ed 

er, ez, ed, final have the sound of a in gate, mate, late, 
same sound as the e with the acute accent. 



The 



cocher (coachman) 
fumier (manure) 
metier (trade) 
courtier (broker) 
charpentier (carpenter) 
escalier (staircase) 
vitrier (glazier) 
coutelier (cutler) 
sucrier (sugar bowl) 
beurrier (butter dish) 
saladier (salad dish) 
moutardier (mustard pot) 
entrer (to enter) 
saluer (to salute) 
prier (to pray) 
demander (to ask) 
remercier (to thank) 
donner (to give) 
excuser (to excuse) 
meriter (to deserve) 
negliger (to neglect) 



EXAMPLE 

desirer (to desire) 
vous entrez (you enter) 
vous saluez (you salute) 
vous priez (you pray) 
vous demandez (you ask) 
vous remerciez (you thank) 
vous donnez (you give) 
vous excusez (you excuse) 
vous meritez (you deserve) 
vous negligez (you neglect) 
vous desirez (you desire) 
assez (enough) 
nez (nose) 

rez-de-chaussee (ground floor) 
chez (at the house of) 
biez (water-mill channel) 
pied (foot) 
il sied (it becomes) 
il s'assied (he sits down) 
trepied (trivet, tripod) 
chausse-pied (shoe horn) 



r final is by exception sounded in the following words, er 
has the sound of air: 



EXAMPLE 



hier (yesterday) 
hiver (winter) 
bitter (a kind of liquor) 
fer (iron) 
amer (bitter) 
Lucifer (Lucifer) 
Luther (Luther) 
fier (proud) 

magister (village school mas- 
ter) 
mer (sea) 
en fer (hell) 
cuiller (spoon) 
ver (worm) 



cancer (cancer) 

gaster (stomach) 

cher (dear) 

ether (ether) 

f rater (a surgeon's helper) 

Esther (Esther) 

Eliezer (Eliezer) 

Stathouder (a ruler in 

Holland) 
un vers (a verse) 
vers (toward) 
de travers (awry) 
Je sers (I serve) 
univers (universe) 



simple vowels 21 



et 



et final has the sound of e in etching, get, met, let, fresh. 
(The same sound as the e with a grave accent.) 

EXAMPLE 

et (and) valet (valet) jouet (toy) 

sujet (subject) bouquet (bouquet) chalet (cottage) 

corset (corset) pistolet (pistol) baquet (tub) 

objet (object) chevalet (easel) navet (turnip) 



Remark: In spelling, the French a is called ah, but that 
does not mean that it has always that sound when placed in 
a word. 

1. a is usually sounded like the a in cat, mat, rat, fat, bat. 

EXAMPLE 

la (the) rat (rat) bas (stocking) 

ma (my) drap (cloth) fade (tasteless) 

ta (thy) chat (cat) sale (dirty) 

2. When a is surmounted by a circumflex accent, it has 
the sound of the a in father. 

EXAMPLE 

male (male) pale (pale) atre (hearth) 

crane (skull) ame (soul) capre (caper) 

ane (donkey) hate (haste) blame (blame) 

lache (coward) chale (shawl) 

3. a has also the sound of the a in father, rather, the same 
sound as a with the circumflex accent, when it is followed by 
ble, bre, gle, gre, dre, vre. 

In the following words it is necessary to dwell on the vowel 
preceding the above terminations in order to avoid a too 
strong utterance of the final syllable, which must be sounded 
very faintly. Care must be taken not to pronounce ble, bre, 
gle, gre, dre, vre, as they are in English bel, ber, gel, ger, der, 
ver. Remember that the two consonants must not be separated 
by any intervening sound as in English. 

EXAMPLE 

table (table) sabre (sabre) aimable (amiable) 

fable (fable) cadre (frame) etable (cow stable) 

sable (sand) glabre (smooth) agreable (agreeable) 

erable (maple) podagre (gouty) profitable (profitable) 

capable (capable) coupable (guilty) charitable (charitable) 



22 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



The same rule is applied to the other vowels preceding the 
above terminations. They must be dwelt upon and pronounced 
as if they were surmounted by a circumflex accent. 



Bible (Bible) 
table (table) 
pauvre (poor) 
cidre (cider) 
noble (noble) 



Example 



negre (negro) 

livre (book) 

poivre (pepper) 

humble (humble) 

le Louvre (a palace in Paris) 



EXCEPTIONS 

a is not sounded in Aout (month of August) which is pro- 
nounced ou (like the oo in oozing), 
aoriste (aorist) pronounced orist 
aouteron (harvest man) pronounced outron 
Saone (a department in France) pronounced Sone 
Curacao (an island in the Gulf of Mexico) pronounced 
Curaco 

i preceding a must be distinctly sounded, as ia in piano. 



miasme (miasm) 
milliard (billion) 
fiacre (cab) 
glacial (icy) 
alliage (alloy) 



EXAMPLE 

liane (creeping vine) 
miniature (miniature) 
tiare (tiara) 
Diane (Diana) 
Hard (farthing) 



I 



1. i, when not preceded by a or e, is always sounded like 
the i in if, bit. 



cri (cry) 
si (if) 
riz (rice) 



EXAMPLE 

lit (bed) 
pli (fold) 
ici (here) 



fini (finished) 
midi (midday) 



2. i surmounted by a circumflex accent has the sound of 
the ee in bee, flee, eel. 

EXAMPLE 

ile (island) abime (abyss) diner (dinner) 

dime (tithe) epitre (epistle) gite (lodging) 



SIMPLE VOWELS 



23 



3. ie final is sounded like the ee in bee, flee, eel, (the same 
sound as the i with a circumflex accent in the following mon- 
osyllabic words) : 
vie (life) lie (dreggs) 

pie (magpie) II lie (he ties) 

scie (saw) Je prie (I pray) 

mie (crumb) Je plie (I fold) 



Je me fie (I trust) 
II nie (he denies) 
Elle crie (she cries) 
Je scie (I am sawing) 



O 

1. O is generally sounded like the o in mob, dot, not, rob, 
glove, ton. 

Exampi^ 

octagone (octagon) robe (dress) mort (death) 

mors (horse bit) noce (wedding) col (collar) 

or (gold) mode (fashion) botte (boot) 

note (bill, account) vote (vote) tonne (ton) 

2. 6 when it is surmounted by a circumflex accent is 
sounded like the o in note, robe, clover, tone. 

EXAMPLE 

drole (rascal) 
geole (jail) 
mole (pier) 
aumone (alms) 



roti (roast meat) 
cone (cone) 
tole (sheet iron) 
alcove (alcove) 



aumonier (chaplain) 
symptome ( symptom ) 
oter (to remove) 
cote (rib, also coast) 



3. o final is sounded like the o in note, robe, clove, tone, 
(the same sound as the 6 with the circumflex accent). 

Example 
loto (loto) indigo (indigo) 

piano (piano) lavabo (washstand) 

domino (domino) numero (number) 

4. o is sounded like the o in note, robe, clove, tone (the 
same as the 6 with a circumflex accent), in words having only 
one syllable, or in the last syllable of a word when o is fol- 
lowed by one single consonant which is not sounded. 

EXAMPLE 

dos (back) repos (repose) 

nos (our) a propos (by the way) 

vos (your) calicot (muslin) 

gros (big, coarse) heros (hero) 

lingot (ingot) sirop (syrup) 

haricot (bean) mulot (field mouse) 



24 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

But in the derivatives of these words o has the sound of 
the o in not, rob, glove, ton, because it is followed by a 
consonant and a vowel. 

EXAMPLE 
EXAMPLES WITH O SOUNDED EXAMPLES WITH O SOUNDED 
AS IN NOTE AS IN NOT 

mot (word) motif (motive) 

lot (prize) loterie (lottery) 

trot (trot) trotter (to trot) 

sot (fool) sottise (foolishness) 

pot (pot) potterie (pottery) 

croc (a dog's tooth) crochet (hook) 

galop (gallop) galoper (to gallop) 

rabot (plane) raboter (to plane off) 

idiot (m) (idiot) idiote (f) (idiot) 

abricot (apricot) abricotier (apricot tree) 

5. o, when placed inside a word and followed by s and a 
vowel, is sounded like o in note, robe, clove, tone, (the same 
sound as 6 with a circumflex accent.) 

EXAMPLE 

positif (positive) gosier (throat) 

alose (shad fish) reposoir (repository) 

poser (to place) rosier (rose bush) 
arrosoir (watering pot) 

L'homme propose mais Dieu dispose. 
(Man proposes but God disposes.) 

And also in the following, words, on account of t being 
sounded as s in sister : 

motion (motion) is pronounced mo-si-on 
potion (a drug mixture) is pronounced po-si-on 
devotion (devotion) is pronounced de-vo-si-on 
notion (notion) is pronounced no-si-on 
emotion (emotion) is pronounced e-mo-si-on 

6. But when o is followed by ss it is sounded like o in 
ossified. 

EXAMPLE 

brosse (brush) possession (possession ) 

crosse (crutch) fosse (grave) 

bosse (hump) colosse (colossus) 

cosse (pod) Ecosse (Scotland) 

fossette (dimple) rosse (jade) 



SIMPLE VOWELS 



25 



EXCEPTIONS 

The following words are an exception to the foregoing rule. 
They must be pronounced as if there was a circumflex accent 
over the o. They are the derivatives of gros (big, coarse) and 
of dos (back) : 



Example 



grosse (big, coarse) 
grosseur (bigness) 
dossier (back of a seat) 
grossesse (pregnancy) 
grossir (to enlarge) 



grossier (common, coarse) 
grossiere (common, coarse) 
endosseur (an endorser) 
endossement (endorsement) 
grossierete (coarseness) 



endosser (to endorse a check) grossierement (coarsely) 



7. I preceding o must be distinctly sounded, as in idiot. 



vitriol (vitrol) 
fiole (phial) 
axiome (axiom) 
curiosite (curiosity) 



EXAMPLE 

diocese (diocese) 
kiosque (kiosque) 
violer (to violate) 
Rio (Rio) 



U 



1. u is sounded nearly like the u in gude, suss, grim. In 
order to obtain that sound, it is necessary to place the lips in 
the same position as for whistling. The French u has the same 
guttural sound as the German it in grim, suss or in the word 
gude in the Scottish language. 



bu (drunk) 
du (some, any) 
nu (naked) 
cru (believed) 
su (known) 
mu (moved) 
lu (read) 
vu (seen) 
nul (void) 
mule (mule) 
cube (cube) 



EXAMPLE 



due (duke) 
mur (wall) 
cuve (tub) 
Sud (South) 
lutte (struggle) 
juste (just) 
pur (pure) 
rue (street) 
dur (hard) 
lune (moon) 
prude (prudish) 



26 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



2. u with a circumflex accent must be dwelt upon. 

EXAMPLE 

buche (log) piqure (sting) 

flute (flute) embuche (snare) 

fut (cask) brulure (a burn) 



brulot (fire ship) 
mure (mulberry) 
sur (certain) 



3. u is generally silent after q. qu is sounded like k in 
king. 

EXAMPLE 

inquietude (uneasiness) 
qualite (quality) 
esquif (skiff) 



question (question) 
quai (quay) 
bouquet (bouquet) 
quinquina (quinine) 

Except in piqure (sting), which is pronounced pi-cu-re. 



4. gu is sounded as in English in a few words directly de- 
rived from the Latin, (coo-a). These words are nearly alike 
in French and English. 



EXAMPLE 



equateur (equator) 
aquatique (aquatic) 
aquarelle (water color) 
equestre (equestrian) 
aquarium (aquarium) 
quadrupede (quadruped) 
quadrumane (monkey) 
quartz (mineral substance) 
Quirinal (Royal Palace in 

Rome) 
in-quarto (quarto size) 
equitation (horsemanship) 
loquacite (loquacity) 
quadruple (quadruple) 

Quaker is pronounced Koo- 



quintuple (quintuple) 
quintetto (quintet) 
quatuor (quatuor) 
questeur (questor) 
questure (questorship) 
quadragenaire (a man of 40) 
quinquagenaire (a man of 50) 
quadrature (quadrature) 
equidistant (equidistant) 
liquefaction (liquefaction) 
quadrangulaire (quadrangular) 
quadrilataire (quadrilateral) 

figure) 
quadragesime (quadragesima) 



a-cre. 



5. 



u is silent between g and e or i. 



gu is sounded like g in 



garment. 






Example 


guenon (female ape) 


intrigue (intrigue) 


guerre (war) 


morgue (bone house) 


guepe (wasp) 


gueridon (round table) 


naguere (of old) 


guimauve (marshmallow) 


Ague (fig) 


guirlande (garland) 


fatigue (fatigue) 


guitare (guitar) 



SIMPLE VOWELS 27 

6. u after g preserves its proper sound when it is followed 
by a consonant. 

EXAMPLE 

augure (omen) figure (face) 

virgule (comma) aigu (acute) 

guttural (guttural) ambigu (ambiguous) 

lugubre (lugubrious) contigu (contiguous) 

deguster (to sample wine) exigu (scanty) 
energumene (demoniac) Argus 

envergure (the size of a bird Auguste 
when its wings are spread) Gustave 
legume (vegetable) Regulus 

7. u is, by exception, sounded in the following words, as 
in language: 

EXAMPLE 

arguer (to argue) aiguillee (needleful) 

lingual (lingual) Guadalquivir (Guadalquivir) 

linguiste (linguist) aiguillon (goad) 
Guadeloupe (Guadeloupe) aiguiser (to sharpen) 

Guise (Guise) ambiguite (ambiguity) 

jaguar (jackal) Guatemala (Guatemala) 
aiguille (needle) 

8. i preceding u must be distinctly sounded. 

Example 
diurne (diurnal) reliure (the binding of a book) 

sciure (saw-dust) di-u-re-tique (diuretic) 

Y 

1. y, when initial or final, or placed between two con- 
sonants, or forming a syllable of itself, has the same sound as 
the French i in inn, or the same sound as the English y in navy. 

Ypres (a city in France) pronounced Ee-prr 

Champs Ely sees ( a promenade at Paris) pronounced Shan- 

Zelizay 

y (there) tyran (tyrant) lyre (lyre) 

type (type) • cypres (cypress) 

dynastie (dynasty) myrte (myrtle) 

2. y between two vowels is equivalent to i-i. The first i 
forms a diphthong with the vowel preceding it. The second i 
must be sounded distinctly before the vowel following it. The 
syllabic division takes place between the two i's. 



28 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

EXAMPLE 

oi like o in one 

royal (royal) is pronounced roi-ial 

bruyere (heath) is pronounced brui-iere 

voyelle (vowel) is pronounced voi-ielle 

joyau (jewel) is pronounced joi-iau 

crayon (pencil) is pronounced crai-ion 

loyer (house rent) is pronounced loi-ier 

joyeux (merry) is pronounced joi-ieux 

payer (to pay) is pronounced pai-ier 

moyen (means, way) is pronounced moi-ien 

Y is not sounded in Talleyrand ; it is pronounced Tallerand. 

EXCEPTIONS 

1. The following words are exceptions: 

The y although followed by a consonant has the sound of 
two i's. 

EXAMPLE 

pays (native land) is pronounced pai-ee 
paysan (peasant (m)) is pronounced pai-ee-zan 
paysanne (peasant (f)) is pronounced pai-ee-zanne 
pay sage (landscape) is pronounced pai-ee-zage 
abbaye is pronounced ab-bai-ie 

2. In the following words the y, although placed between 
two vowels, is sounded like a single i. It does not form a 
diphthong with the vowel preceding it. 

EXAMPLE 

Lafayette is pronounced La-fa-iette 

mayonnaise (salad dressing) is pronounced ma-io-nai-se 

Cayenne (city) is pronounced Ca-ienne 

Bayard is pronounced Ba-iard 

Mayence (city in Germany) is pronounced Ma-ien-ce 

bayadere (an Indoo dancer) is pronounced ba-ia-de-re 

Bayonne (city in France) is pronounced Ba-i-onne 



COMPOUND VOWELS 

The compound vowels are: 
au-eau are sounded alike — like o in note, robe, 
eu-ceu are sounded alike, sometimes like u in us, cuff ; some- 
times deeper, like u followed by r, as in urn, burn, purling, 
oi, like o in one. 

ou, like oo in oozing, or ou in soup, 
oe, like e — a in mate, gate, 
ui, like ui in quilt, quiver, 
ai-ei-ey are sounded alike — like e (e in let, met, etching). 

The following have the same sound, although spelt differ- 
ently : 

Frangais (French) proces (law suit) 

maire (mayor) mere (mother) 

paire (pair) pere (father) 

chaine (chain) chene (oak tree) 

chaire (pulpit) chere (dear) 

solaire (solar) colere (anger) 

paitre (to graze) champetre (rural) 

naitre (to be born) fenetre (window) 

balai (broom) . ballet (dance) 

dais (canopy) des (as soon) 

air (air) ere (era) 

locataire (tenant) caractere (disposition) 

dromadaire (dromedary) Madere (Madeira wine) 

aigre (sour) negre (negro) 

traitre (traitor) etre (to be) 

jais (jet) jet d'eau (water spout) 

aile (wing) zele (zeal) 

1. ai, final or not, is generally sounded like e in get, let, 
fresh, (the same sound as e with a grave accent). 

EXAMPLE 

lait (milk) chaise (chair) 

f raise (strawberry) maison (house) 

clairon (bugle) vrai (true) 

Anglais (English) fontaine (fountain) 

paix (peace) balai (broom) 



30 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

2. ais and ait, forming the endings of the third persons 
singular of the Imperfect Indicative and of the Conditional 
Present, are also sounded like e with the grave accent (like 
e in met, get, let, fresh). 

Je dejeunais (I was breakfasting) 

J'avais (I had) 

Tu dinais (thou didst dine) 

Tu etais (thou wast) 

II soupait (he used to eat supper) 

II fallait (it was necessary) 

Elle buvait (she drank) 

Elle allait (she was going) 

Je lirais (I should or would read) 

J'aurais (I should or would have) 

Tu dessinerais (thou shouldst or wouldst draw) 

II ecrirait (he should or would write) 

II faudrait (it would or should be necessary) 

Elle chanterait (she should or would sing) 

Elle irait (she should or would go) 

3. ai, forming the ending of the first person singular of the 
Past Definite or Historical Tense, and of the First Future, is 
sounded like e with the acute accent (like a in mate, gate, late). 

EXAMPLE 

Je marchai (I walked) 

Je marcherai (I shall or will walk 

Je fumai (I smoked) 

Je fumerai (I shall or will smoke) 

Je pretai (I lent) 

Je preterai (I shall or will lend) 

J'admirai (I admired) 

J'admirerai (I shall or will admire) 

Je depensai (I spent) 

Je depenserai (I shall or will spend) 

Je desirai (I desired) 

Je desirerai (I shall or will desire) 

4. ai is sounded like e with the acute accent (like a in mate, 
gate, late, or ay in say) in the following words : 

Example; 

J'ai (I have) gai (cheerful) 

Je sais (I know) gaiete (cheerfulness) 

Tu sais (Thou knowest) gaiement (cheerfully) 

II sait (he knows) raifort (horseradish) 

Elle sait (she knows) quai (wharf) / 
Je vais (I go) 



COMPOUND VOWELS 31 

5. i preceding ai must be sounded distinctly. 

EXAMPLE 

liaison (linking) must be pronounced li-ai-zon 
auxiliaire (auxiliary) must be pronounced au-xi-li-ai-re 
biais (bias) must be pronounced bi-ais 
Je riais (I was laughing) must be pronounced ri-ais 
Je criais (I was crying) must be pronounced cri-ais 
II pliait (he was folding) must be pronounced pli-ait 
niais (silly) must be pronounced ni-ais 

EXCEPTIONS 

ai is sounded like e mute (e in herb) when it stands before 
s in the middle of some persons of the verb faire (to make, 
to do) and its derivatives. 

EXAMPLE 

Je faisais (I was doing) is pronounced fe-zay 

Tu faisais (Thou wast doing) is pronounced fe-zay 

II faisait (he was doing) is pronounced fe-zay 

Nous faisons (we are doing) is pronounced fe-zon 

faisant (doing) is pronounced fe-zan 

Nous defaisions (we were undoing) is pronounced de-fe-zion 

ai is sounded like a in far in douairiere (dowager) which is 
pronounced doo-ah-ri-ayr 

ei 

1. ei has the same sound as ai like e in met, get, let, fresh 
(the same sound as e with the grave accent). 

EXAMPLE 

neige (snow) empeigne (vamp) teigne (scurf) 

treize (thirteen) reine (queen) verveine (vervein) 

seize (sixteen) peine (sorrow) 

veine (vein) seigle (rye) 

2. ey is sounded like ey in grey, in bey (Turkish chief) 
dey (dey of Algiers). 

au, eau 

1. au, and eau have the sound of o in note, robe (the same 
sound as 6 with the circumflex accent). 

EXAMPLE 

au (to, at) chauve (bald) veau (calf) 

jaune (yellow) couteau (knife) ciseaux (scissors) 

emeraude (emerald) gateau (cake) moineau (sparrow) 



32 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

2. i preceding au must be distinctly sounded, 
miauler (to mew) is pronounced mi-au-ler 
piauler (to peep) is pronounced pi-au-ler 

eu, oeu 






1. eu and ceu are generally sounded like the u of us, but, 
cuff, dull. 

Example; 
fleur (flower) cceur (heart) 

seul (alone) sceur (sister) 

chaleur (heat) bceuf (ox) 

voltigeur (light infantry) oeuf (egg) 

peur (fear) manoeuvre (drill) 

2. i preceding eu must be distinctly sounded. 

Example; 
rieur (giggler) plieur (folder) interieur (interior) 

scieur (sawyer) superieur (superior) 

relieur (bookbinder) inferieur (inferior) 

3. eu and oeu, when final, or followed by x, se, d, t, are 
sounded like u in urn. In order to obtain that sound, it is 
necessary to place the lips in the same position as for whistling. 

EXAMPLE 

bleu (blue) mieux (better) 

peu (little quantity) feu (fire) 

jeu (game) Dieu (God) 

adieu (farewell) vieux (old) 

cheveu (hair) il pleut (it rains) 

noeud (knot) tubereuse (tuberose) 

vceux (vows) blanchisseuse (laundress) 

MASCULINE FEMININE 

heureux (happy) heureuse 

fameux (famous) fameuse 

spacieux (spacious) spacieuse 

tenebreux (dark) tenebreuse 

delicieux (delicious) delicieuse 

savoureux (savory) savoureuse 

laiteux (milky) laiteuse 

noueux (knotty) noueuse 

ambitieux (ambitious) ambitieuse 

precieux (precious) precieuse 

vertueux (virtuous) vertueuse 

religieux (religious) religieuse 



COMPOUND VOWELS 33 

4. Exception — eu, whenever it occurs in the conjugation of 
the verb avoir (to have) has the sound of a simple French u. 

£x ample; 
J'eus (I had) is pronounced J'u 
Tu eus (Thou hadst) is pronounced Tu-u 
II eut (he had) is pronounced Il-u 
Nous eumes (we had) is pronounced Nous-ume 
Vous eutes (you had) is pronounced Vous-ute 
lis eurent (they had) is pronounced Ils-ure 
J'ai eu (I have had) is pronounced J'ai-u 
J'avais eu (I had had) is pronounced J'avais-u 
J'aurai eu (I shall have had) is pronounced J'aurai-u 
Also in the words gageure (wager) and vergeure (the stripes 
noticeable in paper) which are pronounced gajure and verjure. 

oi 

1. oi is generally sounded like o in one. 

EXAMPI^ 

loi (law) bois (wood) toit (roof) 

roi (king) soie (silk) noix (nut) 

oie (goose) foi (faith) croix (cross) 

2. Exception — oi is sounded like o in not, rob, glove, ton, 
in the following words : 

poignard (dagger) is pronounced po-ni-ar 
poignet (wrist) is pronounced po-ni-et 
poignee (handful) is pronounced po-ni-ay 
oignon (onion) is pronounced o-ni-on 
poireau (leek) is pronounced po-reau 

3. oe is sounded like o in one. 

couenne (hog's skin) is pronounced koo-an 
moelle (marrow) is pronounced moo-al 
moelleux (mellow) is pronounced moi-leux 
moelleusement (softly) is pronounced moi-leu-se-ment 
moellon (rough stone) is pronounced moi-lon 

4. ce is sounded like e with the acute accent (like a in gate, 
mate, late) in the following words : 

(Edipe ((Edipus) is pronounced E-di-pe 
cesophage (oesophagus) is pronounced e-so-pha-ge 
foetus (foetus) is pronounced fe-tus 

cecumenique (oecumenical, universal) is pronounced 
e-cu-me-ni-que 



34 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

OU 

ou is always sounded like oo in oozing or like ou in soup, 
group, rouge. 

EXAMPLE 

ou (or) chou (cabbage) fourchette (fork) 

sou (penny) mouche (fly) faubourg (suburb) 

jour (day) poule (hen) soucoupe (saucer) 

loup (wolf) clou (nail) sourd (deaf) 

ui 

ui is sounded like ui in quilt, quiver, quick. 
Example 
fruit (fruit) puits (a well) huitre (oyster) 

pluie (rain) truite (trout) cuivre (copper) 

cuisine (kitchen) huile (oil) suif (tallow) 

biscuit (biscuit) suie (soot) 

u is silent after q and g. 
qui is sounded as ki in kid 
gui is sounded as gi in give 
oui is sounded as in Louis. 

EXAMPLE 

oui (yes) enfouir (to conceal in the 

jouir (to enjoy) ground) 

rouir (to steep hemp) cambouis (axle grease) 

LIQUID SOUNDS 

1. 11 preceded by i is generally liquid (mouille) 11 liquid 
has the sound of y in yes, yet, yard, yoke, yeast. 

EXAMPLE 

billet (ticket) is pronounced be-y-ay 
tilleul (linden tree) is pronounced ti-yeul 
brillant (brilliant) is pronounced bri-yant 
grillon (cricket) is pronounced gri-yon 
billard (billiard) is pronounced bi-yar 
"millet (bird seed) is pronounced mi-yet 
carillon (chime) is pronounced ca-ri-yon 
babillage (prattling) is pronounced ba-bi-yage 
papillon (butterfly) is pronounced pa-pi-yon 
corbillard (hearse) is pronounced cor-bi-yar 
tourbillon (whirlwind) is pronounced tour-bi-yon 



LIQUID SOUNDS 35 

2. ill followed by e mute is sounded eeye, the ee as in bee, 
the ye as in eye (eeye) . 

EXAMPLE 

fille (girl, daughter) is pronounced fee-ye 
bille (marble) is pronounced bee-ye 
roquille (gill) -is pronounced ro-quee-ye 
anguille (eel) is pronounced an-guee-ye 
famille (family) is pronounced fa-mee-ye 
etrille (curry comb) is pronounced e-tree-ye 
faucille (sickle) is pronounced fau-cee-ye 
vanille (vanilla) is pronounced va-nee-ye 
cedille (cedilla) is pronounced ce-dee-ye 
gorille (gorilla) is pronounced go-ree-ye 
chenille (caterpillar) is pronounced che-nee-ye 
coquille (shell) is pronounced co-quee-ye 

When ill, placed inside of a word, is followed by i, it is not 
liquid. 

EXAMPLE 

million (million) is pronounced mi-li-on 
millionnaire (millionaire) is pronounced mil-lio-naire 
milliard (a thousand millions) is pronounced mi-li-ar 
millieme (one thousandth) is pronounced mi-li-e-me 
millier (a thousand) is pronounced mi-li-er 
pierre milliaire (mile stone) is pronounced mi-li-ai-re 
millimetre (millimeter) is pronounced mi-li-me-tre 
milligramme (milligram) is pronounced mi-li-gramme 
millionieme (one part of a million) is pronounced 
mi-lio-ni-eme 

billion (billion) is pronounced bi-li-on 

3. ill is not liquid at the beginning of a word. 

EXAMPLE 

illustre (illustrious) is pronounced il-lus-tre 

illegal (illegal) is pronounced il-le-gal 

illettre (illiterate) is pronounced il-let-tre 

illegitime (illegitimate) is pronounced il-le-gi-ti-me 

illumination (illuminating) is pronounced il-lu-mi-na-tion 

illusion (illusion) is pronounced il-lu-sion 

illustration (illustration) is pronounced il-lus-tra-tion 

illicite (unlawful) is pronounced il-li-ci-te 

illisible (not legible) is pronounced il-li-si-ble 

illimite (without limits) is pronounced il-li-mi-te 



36 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

EXCEPTION 

4. ill or yll, although placed in the middle of words, is 
not liquid in the following words. It is sounded as in the 
English words ill, till, sill, mill. 

EXAMPLE 

chinchilla (fur) syllabe (syllable) ville (town) and its 

pupille (ward) Sylla (Sylla) derivatives 

Gilles (Giles) codicille (codicil) village (village) 

idylle (idyl) instiller (to instil) villageois (villager) 

Sibylle (Sibyl) titiller (to tickle) Achille (Achilles) 

fritillaire (fritillary) vaudeville (vaudeville) 

sillet (nut of a violin) osciller (to oscillate) and its 

fibrille (small fibre) derivatives, oscillation 

armillaire (armillary) vaciller (to stagger) 

maxillaire (maxillar) camomille (chamomile) 

tranquillite (quietness) capillaire (a medicinal herb) 

tranquillement (quietly) scintiller (to scintillate) 

distiller (to distil) and its campanille (little tower) 

derivatives mille (thousand, also mile) 

distillerie (distilling) tranquille (quiet) and its 

distillateur (distiller) derivatives 

5. 1 final preceded by the vowel i is liquid in the following 
words : 

Avril (April) is pronounced A-vree-ye 

babil (chatter) is pronounced ba-bee-ye 

Bresil (Brazil) is pronounced Bre-zee-ye 

cil (eye lash) is pronounced cee-ye 

gril (toaster) is pronounced gree-ye 

gresil (sleet) is pronounced gre-zee-ye 

gentil (heathen) is pronounced gen-tee-ye 

peril (danger) is pronounced pe-ree-ye 

gentilhomme (nobleman) is pronounced gen-tee-y-omme 

6. 1 final preceded by the vowel i is silent in the following 
words : 

fusil (gun) is pronounced fu-zee 

outil (tool) is pronounced ou-ti 

chenil (kennel) is pronounced che-ni 

fournil (bakehouse) is pronounced four-ni 

sourcil (eye-brow) is pronounced sour-ci 

gentil (pretty) is pronounced gen-ti 

persil (parsley) is pronounced per-si 

nombril (navel) is pronounced nom-bri 

baril (barrel) is pronounced ba-ri 

coutil (ticking) is pronounced cou-ti 

gentilshommes (noblemen) is pronounced gen-ti-zhommes 



UQUID SOUNDS 37 

7. 1 final is either sounded or silent in fils — sounded if it 
means threads, silent if it means son or sons. 

1, whether single or double, is always liquid after the 
diphthongs ai, ei, oei, eui, uei, oui. Consequently. 

ail, eil, oeil, euil, ueil, ouil, aill, eill, oeill, euill, ueill, ouill, are 
called liquid sounds. 

OBSERVATION 

The pronunciation of the liquid sounds will present no dif- 
ficulty at all provided the two following rules are observed. 

First. Remember that il or ill liquid is sounded ye as in 
e-ye. 

Second. Bear in mind that the single vowels or the 
diphthongs preceding il or ill retain their natural sounds. 

For instance : a is sounded ah as in far, bar, il or ill are 
sounded ye as in eye. Consequently: 

ail or aill are sounded alike, ahye, or like I in I have. 
EXAMPLES WITH ail 
ail (garlic) eventail (fan) travail (work) 

corail (coral) detail (retail) gouvernail (rudder) 

EXAMPLES WITH AILLE 
paille (straw) caillou (pebble) taille (stature) 

bataille (battle) canaille (rabble) tailleur (tailor) 

medaille (medal) volaille (poultry) mitraille (grape shot) 
bataillon (battalion) tirailleur (sharp shooter) 

vaillant (valiant) Versailles (a city in France) 

eil or eill 
e is sounded like e with the grave accent (e in fresh), 
il or ill is sounded like ye in e-ye. Consequently eil or 
eill is sounded e-ye. 

EXAMPLE 

sommeil (sleep) is pronounced so-meye 

pareil (similar) is pronounced pa-reye 

conseil (counsel, advice) is pronounced con-seye 

vieil (old) is pronounced vieye 

soleil (sun) is pronounced so-leye 

vermeil (silver gilt) is pronounced ver-meye 

appareil (apparel) is pronounced a-pa-reye 

EXAMPLES WITH EILL 
merveille (marvel) is pronounced mer-veye 
groseille (currant) is pronounced gro-seye 
Marseille (city in France) is pronounced Mar-seye 
salsepareille (sarsaparilla) is pronounced sals-pa-reye 
abeille (bee) is pronounced a-beye 



38 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

euil, euill 

eu is sounded like u in us, but, cuff, purr, dull. 

il or ill is sounded like ye in e-ye. Consequently: 

euil or euill is sounded euye. 

EXAMPLE 

deuil (morning) is pronounced deuye 
seuil (threshold) is pronounced seuye 
fauteuil (arm chair) is pronounced fau-teuye 
ecureuil (squirrel) is pronounced e-cu-reuye 
bouvreuil (bullfinch) is pronounced bou-vreuye 
chevreuil (roe buck) is pronounced che-vreuye 
feuille (leaf) is pronounced feuye 
feuillage (foliage) is pronounced feuya-ge 
chevre-feuille (honeysuckle) is pronounced chevre-feuye 
veuillez (be willing) is pronounced veuyez 

ueil or ueill, after c, has the same sound as euil or euill and is 
sounded eu-ye. 

EXAMPLE 

cercueil (coffin) is pronounced cer-keuye 
orgueil (pride) is pronounced or-gueu-ye 
recueil (collection) is pronounced re-keuye 
ecueil (danger at sea) is pronounced e-keuye 
cueillir (to pick) is pronounced keuyeer 
acceuillir (to welcome) is pronounced a-keuyeer 

ceil or oeill has the same sound as euil or euill and is sounded 
euye. 

EXAMPLE 

ceil (eye) is pronounced euye 

ceillade (glance) is pronounced euya-de 

ceillet (pink or carnation, also eylet) is pronounced euyet 

dents oeilleres (eye teeth) is pronounced euye-re 

ouil or ouill 

ou is sounded like oo in oozing. 

il or ill is sounded like ye in e-ye. Consequently: 

ouil or ouill is sounded ooye. 

EXAMPLE 

citrouille (pumpkin) is pronounced ci-trooye 
houille (soft coal) is pronounced hooye 
frapouille (rag) is pronounced fra-pooye 
bouillon (broth) is pronounced boo-yon 
grenouille (frog) is pronounced gre-nooye 
patrouille (patrol) is pronounced pa-trooye 



NASAL SOUNDS 



39 



NASAL SOUNDS 

The nasal sounds are represented by a vowel or diphthong- 
followed by n or m. A final consonant is generally silent after 
a nasal sound. 

an, ean, am, en, em, are sounded like an in blanc, or like 
en in encore. 

an (year) 
anse (handle) 
banc (bench) 
blanc (white) 



EXAMPLE 

Franc (Frank) 
sang (blood) 
chant (song) 
gant (glove) 



rang (rank) 
savant (learned) 
langue (tongue, also 
language) 



EXAMPLES WITH ean 



Jean (John) 
vengeance (vengeance) 
changeant (changeable) 
mangeant (eating) 
arrangeant (arranging) 
obligeant (obliging) 



outrageant (outraging) 
songeant (musing) 
plongeant (diving) 
assiegeant (beseiging) 
encourageant (encouraging) 
engageant (engaging) 



i preceding an must be distinctly sounded. 



fiance (betrothed) 
confiance (trust) 
niant (denying) 
alliance (alliance) 



ample (ample) 
ambre (amber) 
lampe (lamp) 
crampe (cramp) 
camp (camp) 
champ (field) 
ambulance (ambulance) 
camphre (camphor) 
ambition (ambition) 



EXAMPLE 

souriant (smiling) liant (tying) 
criant (screaming) friandise (delicacy) 
defiance (distrust) viande (meat) 
amiante (amiantus) 

EXAMPLES WITH AM 

jambe (leg) 
pampre (vine) 
lambeau (shred) 
tambour (drum) 
estampe (print) 
rampe (baluster) 



chambre (room) 
bambou (bamboo) 
flambeau (torch) 
rampant (crawling) 
vampire (vampire) 
lambris (wainscot) 

amphibie ( amphibious ) 

Samson (Sampson) 

ambigu (ambiguous) 



en (in) 
lent (slow) 
dent (tooth) 
souvent (often) 
vent (wind) 
regiment (regiment) 



EXAMPLES WITH EN 

cendres (ashes) 

tente (tent) 

accent (accent) 

argent (silver, also money) 

rente (income) 



40 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



A nasal sound is always spelled with m when it precedes 
m, b, or p. 

EXAMPLES ON EM 

temps (time, weather) membre (limb, also member) 

empire (empire) temple (temple) 

emblem e (emblem) assemblee (assembly) 
ensemble (together) 

i preceding en must be distinctly sounded. 

EXAMPLE 

emollient (emollient) 
ingredient (ingredient) 
patience (patience) pronounce 
pa-si-en-ce 

EXCEPTIONS 

1. ien final is sounded like ya in yankee in the following 
words and in some tenses of verbs ending in enir as venir (to 
come), tenir (to hold). 



orient (orient) 
client (client) 
audience (audience) 
science (science) 



EXAM PEE 
Tu tiens 
II tient 

Xous viendrons 
Yous viendrez 
lis viendront 



Tu tiendrais 
II tiendrait 
Nous tiendrions 
Vous tiendriez 
lis tiendraient 
Tu viens (Thou comest) 
Je tiendrais (I should or would 

hold) 
Tu viendras (Thou shalt 

or wilt come) 
II viendra (he shall or will 
come) 



chien (dog) 
bien (well) 
rien (nothing) 
lien (fastening) 
Je tiens (I hold) 
Italien (Italian) 
Prussien (Prussian) 
Parisien (Parisian) 
Autrichien (Austrian) 
Je viens (I come) 
II vient( he comes) 
Je viendrai (I shall or will 
come) 

Remark — In compound words as bientot (very soon), 
bienfait (liberal act), chiendent (dog's grass), ien retains the 
sound of the primitive words bien, chien. 

2. am is not nasal at the end of some Biblical or his- 
torical names. 

EXAMPEE 

Jeraboam (Jeroboham) Cham (Ham) 

Abraham (Abraham) Amsferdam, Rotterdam. 

Roboam (Roboam) 

The name Adam is by exception sounded nasal. 



NASAL. SOUNDS 41 

3. em and en are sounded as in the English words hem and 
men, in words derived from Latin or taken from other foreign 
languages. 

EXAMPLE 

Eden (Eden) item (the same) hymen (marriage) 

amen (amen) Baden (Baden) 

4. ent being the. termination of French verbs in the third 
person plural is silent like e mute. 

EXAMPLE 

lis chantent (they sing) is pronounced chante 
Elles parlent (they speak) is pronounced parle 
lis aimaient (they loved) is pronounced aimait 
Elles marchaient (they walked) is pronounced marchait 
lis mangeraient (they should or would eat) is pronounced 
mangerait 

Elles couperaient (they should or would cut) pronounced 
couperait 

The termination ent of some words similarly spelled, al- 
though of different parts of speech, varies in its pronuncia- 
tion. It is silent (like e mute) in verbs and sounded (as an in 
blanc or en in encore) in other parts of speech. 

OBSERVATION 

Two words ending in ent and at the some time similarly 
spelled, may be sometimes both verbs. But one of them is 
singular and the other plural. Therefore the termination ent 
must be silent like e mute when plural and sounded (like an 
in blanc or en in encore) when singular. 

The following is an illustration of words ending in ent simi- 
larly spelled, but of different meanings, which are differently 
pronounced in their termination. 

ENT HAS THE NASAL SOUND IN : ENT IS SILENT LIKE FINAL E MUTE IN : 

adherent (ran) (adherent) lis adherent (air) (they adhere) 

affluent (an) (affluent) lis affluent (flu) (they resort) 

coincident (dan) (coincident) lis coincident (seed) (they coincide) 

content (tan) (pleased) lis content (cont) (they relate) 

couvent (van) (convent) Elles couvent (coov) (they sit) 

different (ran) (unlike) lis different (fair) (they differ) 

excellent (Ian) (excellent) lis excellent (cell) (they excel) 

expedient (dian) (shift) lis expedient (dee) (they dispatch) 

violent (Ian) (violent) lis violent (ol) (they violate) 

negligent (jan) (negligent) lis negligent (eej) (they neglect) 

parent (ran) (relative) lis parent (par) (they adorn) 

precedent (dan) (precedent) lis precedent (said) (they precede) 

president (dan) (president) lis president (zeed) (they preside) 

sergent (jan) (sergeant) lis sergent (sairj) (they make serge) 

serpent (pan) (snake) Us serpent (airp) (they weigh anchor) 



42 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

EXCEPTIONS 

en and em in a few foreign names has the sound of in nasal 
— like an in anger or in in vin. 

EXAMPLE 

Benjamin is pronounced Bin-ja-min 
Memphis is pronounced Min-fis 
examen (examination) is pronounced e-xa-min 
Europeen (European) is pronounced Eu-ro-pe-in 
pensum (a task given as a punishment in school) is pro- 
nounced pin-some 

le Bengale (Bengal) is pronounced Bin-gal 
agenda (memorandum book) is pronounced a-jin-da 
ben join (an aromatic gum) is pronounced bin- join 
pentateuque (pentateuch) is pronounced pin-ta-teu-que 
Rubens is pronounced Ru-bins 

in, im, ym, yn, ain, aim, ein, are sounded like in in vin or 
nearly like a in anger. 

EXAMPLES WITH IN 

vin (wine) lapin (rabbit) 

lin (flax) epingle (pin) 

fin (end) jardin (garden) 

crin (horse hair) matin (morning) 

pin (fir tree) marin (sailor) 

EXAMPLES WITH IM 

simple (simple) guimpe (bodice) 

important (important) imprimeur (printer) 

imbecile (imbecile) limpide (limpid) 

Imperatrice (Empress) timbre (stamp) 

EXCEPTIONS 

im loses the nasal sound in proper names taken from foreign 
languages as : Ibrahim, Ephraim, Selim. 
The nasal sound is used in Joachim only. 

im and in also lose the nasal sound at the beginning and in 
the middle of words, when n or m stands before a vowel or a 
silent h, and also when n or m is doubled in words connected 
with the Latin preposition in which preposition becomes im 
before m. 



NASAI^ SOUNDS 43 

EXAMPLE 

inutile (useless) is pronounced i-nu-tile 
inhumain (inhuman) is pronounced i-nu-main 
inhabile (awkward) is pronounced i-na-bile 
inanime (inanimate) is pronounced i-na-ni-me 
innocent (innocent) is pronounced i-no-cent 
immortel (immortal) is pronounced im-mor-tel 
immense (immense) is pronounced im-men-se 
image (image) is pronounced i-ma-ge 
epinard (spinach) is pronounced e-pi-nar 
deviner (to devine) is pronounced de-vi-ner 

EXAMPLES WITH YM AND YN 

nymphe (nymph) larynx (larynx) 

thym (thyme) sympathie (sympathy) 

cymbale (cymbals) tympan (drum of the ear) 

syncope (swoon) sphynx (sphynx) 

synthese (synthesis) lynx (lynx) 

EXAMPLES WITH AIN 

pain (bread) sain (wholesome) 

main (hand) parrain (godfather) 

saint (saint) vilain (ugly) 

nain (dwarf) vain (vain) 

bain (bath) humain (human) 

grain (grain) levain (leaven) 

EXAMPLES WITH AIM 

faim (hunger) daim (deer) 

essaim (swarm) etaim (carded wool) 

EXAMPLES WITH E)IN 

plein (full) ceinture (girdle) 

teint (complexion) teindre (to dye) 

empreinte (imprint) frein (bit) 

peinture (picture) teinture (coloring) 

On, eon, om are sounded like on in. Baton Rouge (Louisi- 
ana) and in bonbon, bonton. 

EXAMPLES WITH ON 

mon (my) don (gift) talon (heel) 

ton (thy) bon (good) citron (lemon) 

son (his) savon (soap) eponge (sponge) 

non (no) eperon (spur) 

on is sounded o in Monsieur. That ought to be pronounced 
grammatically Mo-si-eu, but it is generally pronounced 
Me-si-eu. 



44 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

EXAMPLES WITH EON 

pigeon (jon) (pigeon) badigeon (jon) (whitewash) 

esturgeon (jon) (sturgeon) sauvageon (jon) (wild stock) 
plongeon (jon) (diving) bourgeon (jon) (bud) 

EXAMPLES WITH OM 

nom (name) plomb (lead) 

bombe (bombshell) nombre (number) 

comte (a count) combat (combat) 

tombe (grave) escompte (discount) 

combien (how much) trompette (trumpet) 

i, when placed before on must be distinctly sounded. 

EXAMPLE 

lion (lion) million (million) 

scorpion (scorpion) pension (pension) 

passion (passion) opinion (opinion) 

mission (mission) occasion (occasion) 

division (division) commission (commission) 
Sion (Zion) 

oin and ouin are sounded like in in vin, preceded by a w 
sound (ooin) in wang. 

EXAMPLE 

besoin (need) groin (snout) 

joindre (to join) moins (less) 

coin (corner) po m g (fist) 

le moindre (the least) temoin (witness) 

pointe (point) goinfre (glutton) 

oindre (to anoint) chafouin (polecat) 

point (stitch) marsouin (porpoise) 

soin (care) babouin (baboon) 

loin (far) pingouin (razor bill) 

coing (quince) maringouin (mosquitoe) 
f oin ( hay ) 

ouen is sounded ooan (like an in blanc) in Rouen and 
Ecouen (two cities in France). 

EXCEPTIONS 
aen and aon have the sound of an in blanc, in the following 
words : 

paon (peacock) pronounce pan 
paonne (pea hen) pronounce panne 
faon (fawn) pronounce fan 
Caen (city in France) pronounce Can 
Laon (city in France) pronounce Lan 



NASAL SOUNDS 45 

aon has the sound of on (in bonbon). 

taon (oxfly) pronounce ton 

Saone (river in France) pronounce Sone 

un, eun, and urn cannot be illustrated by any English sound. 
The simplest way of acquiring it is to pronounce u as it is 
sounded in urn. After having repeated it several times pro- 
nounce it very nasal and that sound will correspond exactly 
to the French un and urn — er nasal will also do. 

LXAMPLS 

ajeun (fasting) parfum (perfume) tribun (tribune) 

brun (brown) Lundi (Monday) chacun (each one) 

un (one) emprunt (loan) aucun (no one) 

alun (alum) humble (humble) Humbert (Humbert) 

uin is sounded u-in in Juin (June) or wa in wang. 
In some words adopted from the Latin um is sounded om as 
in kingdom, wisdom (the same as in English). 

£XAMPL£ 

geranium te deum memorandum album (album) 

laudanum erratum aquarium minimum 

opium maximum post scriptum 

m before n in the middle of words is usually sounded. It is 
mute only in the word automne (automn) which is pronounced 
au-ton, and damner (to damn) which is pronounced dah-ner, 
and its derivatives. Damnation (damnation), condamner (to 
condemn), condamnation (condemnation), which are pro- 
nounced da-na-sion, con-da-ner, con-da-na-sion. 

RULE 
All nasal sounds cease to be so when followed by a vowel 
or if the m or the n is doubled. 

M OR N ARL NASAL IN M OR N ARE) NOT NASAL IN 

an (year) annee (year) 

ban (ban) banane (banana) 

Jean (John) Jeanne (Jenny) 

lampe (lamp) lame (blade) 

jambe (leg) jamais (never) 

rente (income) renne (reindeer) 

vent (wind) venir (to come) 

temps (weather) temoin (witness) 

chien (dog) chienne (dog) (fern) 

le mien (mine) la mienne (mine) (fern) 

moyen (medium) moyenne (medium) (fern) 

fin (fine, end) fine (fine) (fern) 

marin (sailor) marine (navy) 



46 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

EXCEPTIONS 

em and en initial are nasal in the following words, like en 
in encore, or an in blanc. 

EXAMPLE 

emmener (to lead along) ennui (weariness) 

emmagasiner (to store) enivrer (to intoxicate) 

emmailloter (to swaddle) ennoblir (to dignify) 

emmancher (to put a handle) ennuyeux (wearisome) 

emmanchure (arm hole) ennuyant (tedious) 

emmenager (to move in) ennuyeusement (wearily) 

CONSONANTS 

B 
b is always sounded as in English. 

C 

c is sounded like k before a, o, u. 

EXAMPLE 

cafe (coffee) colere (anger) cuve (tub) 

c has the sound of c in cider before e, i, y. 
Example 
ceci (this) ciment (cement) cypres (cypress) 

c with a cedilla (g) has the sound of c in cider before a, o, u. 

EXAMPLE 

fagade (front) legon (lesson) regu (receipt) 

c final is usually sounded like k as in avec (with), lac (lake), 
due (duke). 

The following words in which the final c is not heard at 
all are exceptions to the general rule : 
accroc (rent or tear in gar- jonc (rush) 

ments) lacs (toils) 

arc-boutant (abutment) tabac (tobacco) 

banc (bench, form) tronc (trunk of a tree) 

broc (jug) done (then) 

clerc (clerk) echecs (chess) 

croc (hook) instinct (instinct) 

eric (screw, jack) succinct (concise) 

marc (mark) Je vaincs (1 conquer) 

estomac (stomach) Tu vaincs (Thou conquerest) 

flanc (side) II vainc (He conquers) 



CONSONANTS 47 

Final c is sounded k in the following compound words : 
bric-a-brac (old stores) croc-en- jambe (trip) 

mic-mac (intrigue) franc-etourdi (giddy-head) 

tric-trac (backgammon) du-blanc-au-noir (hotch-potch) . 

cric-crac (crick-crack) pore-epic (porcupine) 

c is silent in pore (por) pig. 

c and t forming together the termination of the same word 
are both generally sounded, that is, are sounded kt as in in- 
tact (untouched), direct (straight, direct). 

c is sounded like g in garment in the following words : 
second (gon) (second) seconder (to second) 

secondement (secondly) Czar (gzar) (Czar) 

In verbs of the first conjugation ending in cer, as commencer 
(to begin), the c has the sound of c in cider. 

In order to preserve that sound throughout the whole verb 
it is necessary to place a cedilla under the <; before the endings 
a and o, otherwise c would be sounded like k in king. 

EXAMPLE) 

commencer (to begin) Nous commencons (we begin) 

commencant (beginning) Je commengais (I began) 

Ch 
ch is generally sounded like sh in shawl, but seldom like k 
in king. It has the sound of sh in the following words : 

EXAMPLE 

chat (cat) chimiste (chemist) 

architecte (architect) chirurgien (surgeon) 

cherubin (cherubim) Achille (Achilles) 

archeveque (archbishop) Mardochee (Mordicai) 

Ch is sounded, by exception, like k in king, in the following 
words : 

Achab, Bacchus, Calchas, Antiochus, archange, Cham, Chal- 
dee, Eucharistie, Machiavel, Michel-Ange, chaos, choeur 
(choir), echo, Munich, orchestre, Zurich. 

ch is silent in almanach (calendar). 

The c of Italian proper names is sounded tsh, after the 
Italian pronunciation. 

EXAMPLE 

Piccini pronounced Pitshini Portici pronounced Portitshi 
cicerone pronounced tshi-tshay-ro-nay 
Medicis pronounced May-dee-tshis 
Civita-Vecchia pronounced Tshivita-Vekia 
Pallavicino pronounced Pallavitshino 



48 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

D 

d is sounded like t when carried to the next word beginning 
with a vowel or silent h. 

grand homme (great man), pronounced gran torn, vend 
il? (does he sell?) pronounced ventil? 

The word Sud (South) is an exception. The d keeps its 
sound as in indeed, Sud-est (Southeast) pronounced sudesst. 

d is never sounded at the end of the following words : 

EXAMPLE 

fond (bottom) muid (hogshead) nceud (knot) 

gond (hinge) nid (nest) pied (peeay) (foot) 

The final d is sounded in proper names as : Alfred, Madrid, 
Sud, le Cid, Obed, Ephod, Conrad, Obeid, David, Valladolid, 
Joad, Talmud. 



f is sounded in the word neuf (nine) when the word is pro- 
nounced alone. 

J'en ai neuf (nuf) (I have nine of them). 

f is silent before a word commencing with a consonant. It 
is is sounded v when carried to a vowel. 

neuf maisons (nine houses) pronounced neu maisons. 
neuf arbres (nine trees) pronounced neu-varbres 

f is sounded in ceuf (egg), bceuf (ox), nerf (nerve) in the 
singular, but when s is added to form the plural, the f is not 
sounded. 

ExampeE 

un ceuf de poule (a hen's egg) 

un bceuf noir (a black ox) 

un nerf (a nerve) 

(ceu) des ceufs de Paques (Easter eggs) 
(bceu) des bceuf s blancs (white oxen) 
(ner) des nerfs faibles (weak nerves) 

f is silent in bceuf gras. 

f final is sounded in : 
bref (short) nef (nave) serf (serf) suif (tallow) 

chef (chief) recif (reef) soif (thirst) Azof (a sea) 

f final is silent in : 
cerf-volant (kite) eteuf (tennis ball) 

chef-d'oeuvre (master piece) clef (also spelled cle) (key) 



CONSONANTS 49 

G 

g is sounded like g in glove before a, o, u, 1, r. 

EXAMPLE 

gant (glove) golfe (gulf) gros (stout) 

gai (cheerful) gloire (glory) guttural (guttural) 

g is sounded like s in measure before e, i, y. 

EXAMPLE 

genou (knee) gymnase gymnasium 

gilet (waistcoat) gingembre (ginger) 

When e mute precedes a, o, u, the g is sounded like s in 
measure. 

EXAMPLE 

rougeole (measles) gageure (jur) (wager) 

orangeade (orangeade) 

g is sounded like k when carried to a vowel or silent h. 

EXAMPLE 

sang ardent (hot blood) pronounced san-kardent 
rang eminent (eminent rank) pronounced ran-keminent 
long intervalle (long interval) pronounced lon-kintervalle 
oblong et mince (oblong and thin) pronounced oblon-ket- 
mince 

g is sounded like g in glove in the first part of orang outang ; 
it is silent in the termination, orangoutan. 

Note — The French g has the same name in the alphabet as 
the English j, and vice versa. But the initial d, which is 
sounded in the English pronunciation, must be dropped in 
French. Consequently g is pronounced zhay (as in azure) and 
j is pronounced zhee (as in jeer). For instance: General is 
sounded in English as if spelt dgeneral ; Jacob is sounded in 
English as if spelt djacob. These two words have the same 
spelling in both languages, but in the French pronunciation the 
d sound should be strictly avoided. 

Gn 
gn is sounded as in mignonette in the following words : 

EXAMPLE 

agneau (lamb) pro- dignite (dignity) cigogne (stork) 
nounced a-nio mignon (dainty) signe (sign) 

Iu verbs of the first conjugation ending en, ger, as manger 
(to eat), the g has the sound of z in azure. 



50 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

In order to preserve that sound throughout the whole verb 
it is necessary to insert an e mute after the g before the endings 
a and o, otherwise g would have the sound of g in garment. 

Example) 
manger (to eat) nous mangeons (we eat) 

mangeant (eating) Je mangeais (I ate) 

g is not sounded in doigt (finger), vingt (twenty), and 
their derivatives : 

doigte (fingering) pronounced doua-tay 
vingtieme (twentieth) pronounced vin-ti-em 
sangsue (leech) pronounced san-su 
legs (legacy) pronounced lay 

H 

h is either mute or aspirate. It is aspirate in heros (hero), 
but it is silent in its derivatives. 

heroine (heroine) heroiquement (heroically) 

heroisme (heroism) 

Words beginning with h aspirate should be particularly 
studied. 

EXAMPLE 

hache (axe) hibou (owl) 

hachis (hash) hanneton (cock-chafer) 

haillon (tatters) harpe (harp) 

haine (hatred) hareng (herring) 

hair (to hate) hurler (to howl) 

hamac (hammock) la Haie (The Hague) 

haricot (bean) 

j 

j keeps always the sound of z in azure. 

K 
k keeps always the sound of k in king. 

L 

1 is sounded as in law. When 1 is doubled and preceded by i, 
it is sometimes called liquid, in which case it has the sound of 
ye in eye. 

EXAMPLE 

famille (family) vanille (vanila) etrille (currycomb) 

For more explanation consult the vowel i, page 22. 



CONSONANTS 51 

M 

m, when double, is sounded single as in grammaire (gram- 
mar), sommeil (sleep). 

m, when double, keeps the double sound in proper names or 
in words beginning with imm. 

Example; 
Emma (Emma) immense (immense) immortel (immortal) 

m is not sounded in damner (to damn) and in automne 
(autumn), which are pronounced daner and oton. 

m and n are used to form the nasal sounds with the addition 
of the vowels. 

Consult the nasal sounds, pages 39 to 46. 

N 
N is carried from the words en, on, bien, to the next 
word beginning with a vowel or silent h, as : 
en ecrivant (in writing) pronounced ane 
on approche (they approach) pronounced ona 
bien habile (very clever) pronounced biena 
rien encore (nothing yet) pronounced rienan 
n final, in adjectives, is also carried, 
bon enfant (good boy) pronounced bonan 
mon ami (my friend) pronounced mona 
The final n of substantives is never carried. 

P 
p final is silent in trop (too much) (tro) and beaucoup 
(much) (coo) when pronounced alone, but the final p is car- 
ried to the next word beginning with a vowel or silent h. 
trop imprudent (too imprudent) pronounced tropin 
beaucoup amuse (much pleased) pronounced coopa 
p final is always silent in the following words : 
camp (camp) drap (sheet) loup (wolf) 

champ (field) galop (gallop) sirop (syrup) 

p preserves its ordinary sound in the middle of words, but 
is silent in the following: 

Baptiste (Baptist) prompt (speedy) 

baptistaire (of baptism) printemps (spring) 

baptiser (to baptise) sept (seven) 

cheptel (lease of cattle) temps (time) 

exempt (free) septieme (seventh) 

il corrompt (he corrupts) sculpteur (sculptor) 

Je romps (I break) sculpter (to sculpture) 



52 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

p followed by h are sounded together like f in fat. 

EXAMPLE 

philosophe (fi) (philosopher) pharmacien (far) (chemist) 
physique (fi) (physics) phare (far) (light house) 

Q .. 

q keeps always the sound of k in king. It is very seldom 
used without the addition of u and qu is generally sounded k. 
marquis (kee) (marquis) quartier (kar) (quarter) 

querelle (ke) (quarrel) 

EXCEPTION 
coq (rooster) pronounced cock 
piqure (sting) pronounced kur 
cinq (five) pronounced sank 

R 

r is always sounded after the vowels a, i, o, u, y, except in the 
word monsieur (sir, gentleman), pronounced mossieu. 

Example 
par (by) or (gold) Smyrne (Zmyrna) 

tir (shooting) mur (wall) 

, er, which forms the ending of all the verbs of the first con- 
jugation is sounded like e, or like ay, in day: 
parler (to speak) marcher (to walk) chanter (to sing) 

r final after e mute is neither sounded in substantives nor in 
adjectives the er final is sounded like e, or like ay, in day: 

EXAMPLE 

epicier (grocer) laitier (milkman) boulanger (baker) 
boucher (butcher) fruitier (fruiterer) leger (light in weight) 

r final after e is always sounded, by exception, in the follow- 
ing words. (Consult the termination er, page 20.) . 

r is sounded double in the future and conditional of the 
verbs acquerir (to acquire), courir (to run), mourir (to die) 
and their derivatives : 

FUTURE 

J'acquerrai (I shall or will acquire) 
Je courrai (I shall or will run) 
Je mourrai (T shall or will die) 

CONDITIONAL 

J'acquerrais (I should or would acquire) 
Je courrais (I should or would run) 
Je mourrais (I should or would die) 



CONSONANTS 53 

In the following words the r only is carried to the following 
vowel, as if there was no other final consonant: 

abord agreable (pleasant access) pronounced ragreable 
sort affreux (horrible fate) pronounced raffreux 
discours ennuyeux (tiresome speech) pronounced rennuyeux 
le fort et le faible (the strong and the weak) pronounced 

ret-le-faible 

sa part et la mienne (his share and mine) pronounced ret- 

la-mienne 



s is sounded as in sister at the beginning of words : 

singulier (singular) sottise (nonsense) 

serviteur (servant) seduisant (seductive) 

s has the sound of z in zone, when placed between two 
vowels, 
maison (house) saisie (seizure) raisin (grape) 

ss is sounded distinctly in the following words. The syllabic 
division takes place between the two s's. 

Example; 

accessible (accessible) asservir (to subdue) 

assentiment (assent) Mississipi (Mississippi) 

admissible (admissible) assassinat (murder) 
missive (missive) 

s is sounded like s in sister in : 
parasol (parasol) preseance (precedence) 

desuetude (disuse) vraisemblable (likely) 

s is sounded as z in zone in : 
transaction (transaction) transitif (transitive) 

transiger (to transact) transition (transition) 

transit (transit) balsam (balsam) 

s is sounded in lis (lily), but not in fleur de lis. Also in 
tous (all) when used without a noun as: 

Je les ai tous (I have all of them) pronounced tooz 



54 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



s has the sound of z in zone, by exception, in the following: 



Alsace (Alsace) 
asthm (azm) (asthma) 
asthmatique (asthmatique) 
balsam (balsam) 
Israelite (Jewish) 
Ismael (Ishmael) 
presbytere (parsonage) 



transaction (transaction) 
transiger (to transact) 
catechisme (catechism) 
ego'isme (selfishness) 
prisme (prism) 
heroisme (heroism) 
galvanisme (galvanism) 






All words ending in isme are included in the same exception. 



exception, like s in omnibus and 
a word beginning with a vowel 

la Lys (the river Lys) 

metis (mongrel) 

mais (maize) 

vis (screw) 

tourne-vis (screw driver) 

Paris (Paris, shepherd) 

pathos (pathos) 

Lesbos (Lesbos) 

Minos (Minos) 

rebus (pun) 

Venus (Venus) 

Protesilas ( Protesilaus ) 

Regulus (Regulus) 

Remus (Remus) 

Epaminondas ( Epaminondas ) 

Pelopidas (Pelopidas) 

Titus (Titus) 



s final is always sounded, by 
like z in trapeze if carried to 
or a silent h: 
as (ace) 
Argus (Argus) 
aloes (aloe) 
agnus (agnus dei) 
Amadis (Amadis) 
Athos (Athos) 
Adonis (Adonis) 
de bibus (of no consequence) 
blocus (blockade) 
bis (twice) 
Brutus (Brutus) 
Gil Bias (Gil Bias) 
sus (upon) 
iris (iris) 
jadis (formerly) 
gratis (gratuitously) 
lis (lily) 
lapis (lapis) 

The final s of bis is not sounded when it means brown, as in 
du pain bis (be) (brown bread) 

The final s of las (tired) is not sounded. 



t has the sound of t in taste. The English sound of th is 
not used in French ; th is sounded as a simple t, as in • 
the (tea) theme (theme) theologie (theology) 

theatre (theater) methode (method) cathedrale (cathedral) 

t in the conjunction et (and) is neither sounded nor carried, 
ma mere et ma soeur (my mother and my sister) 
Louis et Albert (pronounce et like e) 



CONSONANTS 55 



The t of est (is) is not sounded but it is carried to the next 
word when it begins with a vowel or a silent h. 
Est-il votre cousin? (Is he your cousin?) 
Non, madame c'est un etranger (no, madam, it is a stranger) 
Cette veuve est a plaindre (that widow is to be pitied) 

t final is, by exception, sounded in Est (East) pronounced 
esst, Ouest (West) pronounced ooesst. 

t is sounded in sept (seven) which is pronounced set when 
alone or carried to a vowel or silent h, but is silent before a 
consonant. 

Example: 
Avez-vous des livres? (Have you any books?) 
Oui, monsieur, j'en ai sept, (yes, sir; I have seven of them). 
Cette femme a sept en f ants (that woman has seven children) 
Cette demoiselle a dix-sept ans. (This young lady is seven- 
teen years old) 

t is sounded in Christ and not in Jesus-Christ, which is pro- 
nounced Jesu-Cree, and in ante-Christ, pronounced an-te-cree. 

t final is sounded, by exception, in the following: 

granit (granite) dot (dowry) rapt (rape) 

aconit (aconite) fret (freight) fat (fop) 

deficit (deficiency) net (clean,straight) luth (lute) 

brut (raw) malt (malt) preterit (preterit) 

toast (toast) opiat (opiate) introit (introit) 

Brest (Brest) vivat! (hurrah!) 

lest (ballast) chut! (hush!) 

t is pronounced like s in sister in all words where it is pro- 
nounced sh in English : 

Patience (patience), pronounced pa-see-ans, nation (nation) 
pronounced na-see-on and in all words ending in tion. 

t has the sound of s in sister in all words ending in cy in 
English and which are spelled tie in French : Democratic (dem- 
ocracy), autocratie (autocracy), diplomatic (diplomacy) also 
in the following words : 

partialite (partiality) pronounced sia 

essentiel (essential) pronounced siel 

balbutier (to stutter) pronounced siay 

initier (to initiate) pronounced siay 

minutie (a trifle) pronounced see 

ineptie (absurdity) pronounced see 



56 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

V 

v is always sounded as in English. 

w is called double v (doobl vay). It is sounded like a simple 
v. 

EXAMPLE 

Walter (Walter) pronounced Valtayr 

William (William) pronounced Vil-liam 

Washington (Washington) pronounced Vah-zing-ton 

Wurtemberg (Wurtemberg) pronounced Vurtembayr 

Westphalie (Westphalia) pronounced Vesfalee 

w is a letter not belonging to the French alphabet, and 

is used in foreign words only. Wagon (railroad carriage) 

pronounced vagon. 

X 

x is sounded ss in Bruxelles (Brussels) Aix-la-chapelle 
(Aix la chapelle), Auxerre (Auxerre), and in soixante (sixty) 
and its compounds. 

x is sounded s in dix (ten) and six (six), pronounced dis 
and sis, when alone, but when in dix-huit (eighteen) x has the 
sound of z in zone; it is pronounced diz-wit. Nineteen (dix- 
neuf ) is pronounced diz-nuf. 

x is sounded z in the following numerals : 

deuxieme (second) is pronounced ziem, sixieme (sixth), 
dixieme (tenth). 

x final is always sounded, by exception, in the following 
words, it is sounded ks : 

Ajax Fox lynx Phenix Styx 

borax Halifax larynx prefix sphinx 

Felix index onyx Pollux syntax 

x is sounded sh in the word Don Quixote, pronounced 
Kishot. 

x has the sound of gz in words beginning with x or ex be- 
fore a vowel. Xavier (Xavier), pronounced gza, Xenophon 
(Xenophon), examen (examination), exil (exile). 

x is sounded ks in sexe, Saxon, Alexandre. 



z is silent in the following words, but being preceded by e, 
ez has the sound of e: assez (enough), pronounced as-say, nez 
(nose), pronounced nay. 

z is the distinctive mark of the second person plural of the 
French verbs, where it is silent when the verb is pronounced 



the: apostrophe 57 

alone, but is sounded if carried to the next word beginning 
with a vowel or silent h. 

EXAMPLE 

Vous parlez tres-bien Francais (you speak very well French) 
Vous aurez une belle recolte (you will have a fine harvest) 
z is sounded at the end of proper names : Alvarez, Suarez, 

Rhodez, Metz (pronounced mess). 

z is double in some words taken from the Italian language. 

In most of them it is sounded as if the second z was preceded 

by d. 

mezzanine (order of architecture), pronounced medzanine 
mezzo-termine (mean term), pronounced medzo 
lazzi (jest) pronounced ladzi 
les Abruzzes (Abrudzi) 

The letters of the French alphabet are not so numerous as 
the elementary sounds they are used to represent. That de- 
ficiency of letters is partly made up by the use of marks called 
accent (accent), trema (diaeresis), cedille (cedilla) and also 
by various graphical combinations of two or more letters in 
a diphthong. 



THE APOSTROPHE (L' apostrophe) 

The apostrophe marks the elision of a vowel before a word 
beginning with a vowel or . silent h to avoid a hiatus or dis- 
cordant sound, simply on account of euphony. 

EXAMPLE 

l'ame (the soul) instead of la ame 
l'oiseau (the bird) instead of le oiseau 
il m'ecoute (he listens to me) instead of me ecoute 
elle m'imite (she imitates me) instead of me imite 
1'homme et l'enfant (the man and the child) instead of le 
homme et le enfant 

J'ai (I have) instead of Je ai 

The final e of the word grande (great) is elided in six com- 
pound words of the feminine gender: 
grand'mere (grand mother) grand'messe (high mass) 
grand'tante (great aunt) grand'peine (great trouble) 

grand'chambre (high chamber) grand'pitie (great pity) 

The elision of i occurs in the conjunction si (if) only when 
it stands before il (he or it) or before its plural ils (they), 
s'il ecrit (if he writes) 
s'ils dorment (if they sleep) 



58 , CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



THE ACCENTS 
There are three accents. They give a peculiar sound to the 
vowels over which they are placed, and particularly to the e. 
See page 11. 






THE HYPHEN (Le trait-d'union) 

The hyphen (-) is used: 

1. Between a verb and the following pronouns je, moi, tu, 
toi, il, elle, lui, nous, vous, ils, elles, leur, le, la, les, y, en, ce, on, 
whenever these pronouns are used interrogatively. 

EXAMPLE 

suis-je? (am I?) va-t-en (go away!) 

regarde-moi (look at me) donnez-le-lui (give it to him) 

2. Between words collectively used as one. 

Exampi^ 
arc-en-ciel (rainbow) coq-a-1'ane (cock and bull story) 

c'est-a-dire (that is to say) tete-a-tete (private interview) 

3. To connect tres (very) with the word which follows it. 

Exampi^ 
tres-vrai (very true)' tres-bon (very good) 

tres-bien (very well) tres-fort (very strong) 

4. To connect meme (self) with the personal pronoun 
which precedes it. 

Example 
moi-meme (myself) nous-memes (ourselves) 

elle-meme (herself) 

5. Before or after the word ci (here) and la (there) to 
determine more particularly the nearest or more distant place 
between two or more objects. 

Example 
celui-ci (this one) ci-apres (hereafter) 

celui-la (that one) la-haut (up there) 

6. Between the numerals from dix-sept (seventeen) to 
quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (ninety-nine), except when the conjunc- 
tion et (and) is placed between the numbers. 



THE CEDILLA (La Cedille) 

The cedilla (,) much like a comma, is placed under the letter 
c only, when c has to be sounded like s, in sister, before a, o, u, 
otherwise c would have the sound of k, in king, before these 
vowels. 



PUNCTUATION 59 

EXAMPLE 

legon (lesson) nous commengons (we com- 

fagade (front of a building) mence) 

regu (receipt) nous avangons (we advance) 
glagon (icicle) 



THE DIAERESIS (Le trema ( . . ) 

The diaeresis generally denotes that the vowel over which 
it is placed is to be sounded distinctly from the vowel which 
precedes it and from the one which follows : 

naif (artless) is pronounced nah-if 

egoiste (selfish) is pronounced ay-go-ist 

Noel (Christmas) is pronounced No-el 

Moise (Moses) is pronounced Mo-iz 

The diaeresis placed over the final e of some words ending 
in gue does not allow that e to be sounded, but gives the full 
sound to the preceding vowel u. 

cigue (hemlock) is pronounced ci-gu 
aigue (acute) is pronounced ai-gu 
ambigue (ambiguous) is pronounced am-bi-gu 
contigue (contiguous) is pronounced con-ti-gu 

Without the diaeresis the gue would have the sound of gue 
in vague or league. 

EXAMPLE 

figue (fig) langue (tongue) 



PUNCTUATION 

There are in French, as well as in English, ten signs of 
punctuation called : 

1. la virgule (,) (the comma) 

2. le point et virgule ( ;) (the semicolon) 

3. les deux points ( :) (the colon) 

4. le point (.) (the period) 

5. le point d'interrogation (?) (the note of interrogation) 

6. le point d'exclamation ( !) (the note of exclamation) 

7. les points de suspension (. . . .) (the notes of sus- 
pension) 

8. la parenthese ( ) (the parenthesis) 

9. les guillemets (" ") (the inverted commas) 



10. l'accolade ( \ ) (the brace) 



60 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



NUMERALS 

Nombres Cardinaux — Cardinal Numbers 



1 un 

2 deux 

3 trois 

4 quatre 

5 cinq 

6 six 

7 sept 

8 huit 

9 neuf 

10 dix 

11 onze 

12 douze 

13 treize 

14 quatorze 

15 quinze 

16 seize 

17 dix-sept 

18 dix-huit 

19 dix-neuf 

20 vingt 

21 vingt et un 

22 vingt-deux 

23 vingt-trois 

24 vingt-quatre 

25 vingt-cinq 

26 vingt-six 

27 vingt-sept 

28 vingt-huit 

29 vingt-neuf 

30 trente 

31 trente et un 

32 trente-deux 

33 trente-trois 

34 trente-quatre 

35 trente-cinq 

36 trente-six 

37 trente-sept 

38 trente-huit 

39 trente-neuf 

40 quarante 

41 quarante et un 

42 quarante-deux 

43 quarante-trois 

44 quarante-quatre 

45 qnarante-cinq 

46 quarante-six 

47 quarante-sept 

48 quarante-huit 

49 quarante-neuf 

50 cinquante 

51 cinquante et un 

52 cinquante-deux 



one 

two 

three 

four 

five 

six 

seven 

eight 

nine 

ten 

eleven 

twelve 

thirteen 

fourteen 

fifteen 

sixteen 

seventeen 

eighteen 

nineteen 

twenty 

twenty-one 

twenty-two 

twenty-three 

twenty-four 

twenty-five 

twenty-six 

twenty-seven 

twenty-eight 

twenty-nine 

thirty 

thirty-one 

thirty-two 

thirty-three 

thirty-four 

thirty-five 

thirty-six 

thirty-seven 

thirty-eight 

thirty-nine 

forty 

forty-one 

forty-two 

forty-three 

forty-four 

forty-five 

forty-six 

forty-seven 

forty-eight 

forty-nine 

fifty 

fifty-one 

fifty-two 



er nasal 

der (e in her) 

troo-ah 

cat-r 

sank (a in anger) 

sis 

set 

wit 

nuf 

dis 

on-z (on in baton) 

doo-z 

tre-z 

cat-orz 

kan-z (a in anger) 

se-z 

dis-set 

diz-wit 

diz-nuf 

vin 

vin-te-er (er nasal) 

vint-der (e in her) 

vint-troo-ah 

vint-cat-r 

vint-sank (a in anger) 

vint-sis 

vint-set 

vint-wit 

vint-nuf 

tren-t (en in encore) 

tren-tay-er (er nasal) 

trent-der (e in her) 

trent-troo-ah 

trent-cat-r 

trent-sank (a in anger) 

trent-sis 

trent-set 

trent-wit 

trent-nuf 

ca-ren-t (en in encore) 

caren-tay-er (er nasal) 

carent-der (e in her) 

carent-troo-ah 

carent-cat-r 

carent-sank (a in anger) 

carent-sis 

carent-set 

carent-wit 

carent-nuf 

cin-ken-t 

cin-ken-tay-er (er nasal) 

cinkent-der (e in her) 







NUMERALS 


61 


53 


cinquante-trois 


fifty-three 


cin-kent-troo-ah 




54 


cinquante-quatre 


fifty-four 


cin-kent-cat-r 




55 


cinquante-cinq 


fifty-five 


cin-kent-sank (a in 


anger) 


56 


cinquante-six 


fifty-six 


cin-kent-sis 




57 


cinquante-sept 


fifty-seven 


cin-kent-set 




58 


cinquante-huit 


fifty-eight 


cin-kent-wit 




59 


cinquante-neuf 


fifty-nine 


cin-kent-nuf 




60 


soixante 


sixty 


soo-ah-sent (en in encore) 


61 


soixante et un 


sixty-one 


soo-ah-sen-tay-er (< 


ir nasal) 


62 


soixante-deux 


sixty-two 


soo-ah-sent-der (e in her) 


63 


soixante-trois 


sixty-three 


soo-ah-sent-troo-ah 




64 


soixante-quatre 


sixty-four 


soo-ah-sent-cat-r 




65 


soixante-cinq 


sixty-five 


soo-ah-sent-sank (a in anger) 


66 


soixante-six 


sixty-six 


soo-ah-%sent-sis 




67 


soixante-sept 


sixty-seven 


soo-ah-sent-set 




68 


soixante-huit 


sixty-eight 


soo-ah-sent-wit 




69 


soixante-neuf 


sixty-nine 


soo-ah-sent-nuf 




70 


soixante et dix 


seventy 


soo-ah-sent-ay-dis 




71 


soixante et onze 


seventy-one 


soo-ah-sent-ay-on-z 




72 


soixante-dotize 


seventy-two 


soo-ah-sent-doo-z 




73 


soixante-treize 


seventy-three 


soo-ah-sent-tre-z 




74 


soixante-quatorze 


seventy-four 


soo-ah-sent-cat-or-z 




75 


soixante-quinze 


seventy-five 


soo-ah-sent-kin-z 




76 


soixante-seize 


seventy-six 


soo-ah-sent-se-z 




77 


soixante-dix-sept 


seventy-sever 


soo-ah-sent-dis-set 




78 


soixante-dix-huit 


seventy-eight 


soo-ah-sent-diz-wit 




79 


soixante-dix-neuf 


seventy-nine 


soo-ah-sent-diz-nuf 




80 


quatre-vingt 


eighty 


cat-re-vin 




81 


quatre-vingt-un 


eighty -one 


cat-re-vin-un (er nasal) 


82 


quatre-vignt-denx 


eighty-two 


cat-re-vin-der (e in 


her) 


83 


quatre-vingt-trois 


eighty-three 


cat-re-vin-troo-ah 




84 


quatre-vingt-quatre 


eighty-four 


cat-re-vin-cat-r 




85 


quatre-vingt-cinq 


eighty-five 


cat-re-vin-sank (a ir 


i anger) 


86 


quatre-vingt-six 


eighty-six 


cat-re-vin-sis 




87 


quatre-vingt-sept 


eighty-seven 


cat-re-vin-set 




88 


quatre-vingt-huit 


eighty-eight 


cat-re-vin-wit 




89 


quatre-vingt-neuf 


eighty-nine 


cat-re-vin-nuf 




90 


quatre-vingt-dix 


ninety 


cat-re-vin-dis 




91 


quatre-vingt-onze 


ninety-one 


cat-re-vin-on-z 




92 


quatre-vingt-douze 


ninety-two 


cat-re-vin-doo-z 




93 


quatre-vingt-treize 


ninety-three 


cat-re-vin-tre-z 




94 


quatre-vingt-quatorze 


ninety- four 


cat-re-vin-cat-or-z 




95 


quatre-vingt-quinze 


ninety-five 


cat-re-vin-kin-z 




96 


quatre-vingt-seize 


ninety-six 


cat-re-vin-se-z 




97 


quatre-vingt-dix-sept 


ninety-seven 


cat-re-vin-dis-set 




98 


quatre-vingt-dix-huit 


ninety-eight 


cat-re-vin-diz-wit 




99 


quatre-vingt-dix-neuf 


ninety-nine 


cat-re-vin-diz-nuf 




100 


cent 


one hundred 


sen (en in encore) 





62 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



CARDINAL NUMBERS 

(Nombres Cardinaux) 

1 un (m) une (f) 

2 deux 



3 


trois 


4 


quatre 


5 


cinq 


6 


six 


7 


sept 


8 


huit 


9 


neuf 


10 


dix 


11 


onze 


12 


douze 


13 


treize 


14 


quatorze 


15 


quinze 


16 


seize 


17 


dix-sept 


18 


dix-huit 


19 


dix-neuf 


20 


vingt 


21 


vingt et un 


22 


vingt-deux 


23 


vingt-trois 


24 


vingt-quatre 


25 


vingt-cinq 


26 


vingt-six 


27 


vingt-sept 


28 


vingt-huit 


29 


vingt-neuf 


30 


trente 


31 


trente et un 


32 


trente-deux 


33 


trente-trois 


34 


trente-quatre 


35 


trente-cinq 


36 


trente-six 


37 


trente-sept 


38 


trente-huit 


39 


trente-neuf 


40 


quarante 



ORDINAL NUMBERS 
(Nombres Ordinaux) 

1st premier (m) 
premiere (f) 

2d deuxieme, second (m) 
seconde (f) 

3d troisieme 

4th quatrieme 

5th cinquieme 

6th sixieme 

7th septieme 

8th huitieme 

9th neuvieme 

10th dixieme 

11th onzieme 

12th douzieme 

13th treizieme 

14th quatorzieme 

15th quinzieme 

16th seizieme 

17th dix-septieme 

18th dix-huitieme 

19th dix-neuvieme 

20th vingtieme 

21st vingt et unieme 

22d vingt-deuxieme 

23d vingt-troisieme 

24th vingt-quatrieme 

25th vingt-cinquieme 

26th vingt-sixieme 

27th vingt-septieme 

28th vingt-huitieme 

29th vingt-neuvieme 

30th trentieme 

31st trente et unieme 

32d trente-deuxieme 

33d trente-troisieme 

34th trente-quatrieme 

35th trente-cinquieme 

36th trente-sixieme 

37th trente-septieme 

38th trente-huitieme 

39th trente-neuvieme 

40th quarantieme 



CARDINAL AND ORDINAL NUMBERS 



63 



41 


quarante et un 


41st 


42 


quarante-deux 


42d 


43 


quarante-trois 


43d 


44 


quarante-quatre 


44th 


45 


quarante-cinq 


45th 


46 


quarante-six 


46th 


47 


quarante-sept 


47th 


48 


quarante-huit 


48th 


49 


quarante-neuf 


49th 


50 


cinquante 


50th 


51 


cinquante et un 


51st 


52 


cinquante-deux 


52d 


53 


cinquante-trois 


53d 


54 


cinquante-quatre 


54th 


55 


cinquante-cinq 


55th 


56 


cinquante-six 


56th 


57 


cinquante-sept 


57th 


58 


cinquante-huit 


58th 


59 


cinquante-neuf 


59th 


60 


soixante 


60th 


61 


soixante et un 


61st 


62 


soixante-deux 


62d 


63 


soixante-trois 


63d 


64 


soixante-quatre 


64th 


65 


soixante-cinq 


65th 


66 


soixante-six 


66th 


67 


soixante-sept 


67th 


68 


soixante-huit 


68th 


69 


soixante-neuf 


69th 


70 


soixante et dix 


70th 


71 


soixante et onze' 


71st 


72 


soixante-douze 


72d 


73 


soixante-treize 


73d 


74 


soixante-quatorze 


74th 


75 


soixante-quinze 


75th 


76 


soixante-seize 


76th 


77 


soixante-dix-sept 


77th 


78 


soixante-dix-huit 


78th 


79 


soixante-dix-neuf 


79th 


80 


quatre-vingt 


80th 


81 


quatre-vingt-un 


81st 


82 


quatre-vingt-deux 


82d 


83 


quatre-vingt-trois 


83d 


84 


quatre-vingt-quatre 


84th 


85 


quatre-vingt-cinq 


85th 



quarante et unieme 

quarante-deuxieme 

quarante-troisieme 

quarante-quatrieme 

quarante-cinquieme 

quarante-sixieme 

quarante- septieme 

quarante-huitieme 

quarante-neuvieme 

cinquantieme 

cinquante et unieme 

cinquante-deuxieme 

cinquante-troisieme 

cinquante-quatrieme 

cinquante-cinquieme 

cinquante-sixieme 

cinquante-septieme 

cinquante-huitieme 

cinquante-neuvieme 

soixantieme 

soixante et unieme 

soixante-deuxieme 

soixante-troisieme 

soixante-quatrieme 

soixante-cinquieme 

soixante-sixieme 

soixante-septieme 

soixante-huitieme 

soixante-neuvieme 

soixante et dixieme 

soixante et onzieme 

soixante-douzieme 

soixante-treizieme 

soixante-quatorzieme 

soixante-quinzieme 

soixante-seizieme 

soixante-dix-septieme 

soixante-dix-huitieme 

soixante-dix-neuvieme 

quatre-vingtieme 

quatre-vingt-unieme 

quatre-vingt-deuxieme 

quatre-vingt-troisieme 

quatre-vingt-quatrieme 

quatre-vingt-cinquieme 



64 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



86 quatre-vingt-six 

87 quatre-vingt-sept 

88 quatre-vingt-huit 

89 . quatre-vingt-neuf 

90 quatre-vingt-dix 

91 quatre-vingt-onze 

92 quatre-vingt-douze 

93 quatre-vingt-treize 

94 quatre-vingt-quatorze 

95 quatre-vingt-quinze 

96 quatre-vingt-seize 

97 quatre-vingt-dix-sept 

98 quatre-vingt-dix-huit 

99 qtiatre-vingt-dix-neuf 

100 cent 

101 cent un 

102 cent deux 

103 cent trois 

110 cent dix 

111 cent onze 

120 cent vingt 

121 cent vingt et tan 

200 deux cent 

201 deux cent un 

202 deux cent deux 
1000 mille ' 

10000 dix mille 



86th 
87th 
88th 
89th 
90th 
91st 
92d 
93d 
94th 
95th 
96th 
97th 
98th 
99th 
100th 
101st 
102d 
103d 
110th 
111th 
120th 
121st 
200th 
201st 
202d 
1000th 
10000th 



quatre- vingt-sixieme 
quatre- vingt-septieme 
quatre- vingt-huitieme 
quatre-vingt-neuvieme 
quatre-vingt-dixieme 
quatre- vingt-onzieme 
quatre- vingt-douzieme 
quatre-vingt-treizieme 
quatre- vingt-quatorzieme 
quatre-vingt-quinzieme 

quatre- vingt-seizieme 

quatre-vingt-dix-septieme 

quatre-vingt-dix-huitieme 

quatre-vingt-dix-neuvieme 

centieme 

cent-unieme 

cent-deuxieme 

cent-troisieme 

cent-dixieme 

cent-onzieme 

cent-vingtieme 

cent vingt et unieme 

deux-centieme 

deux cent-unieme 

deux cent-deuxieme 

millieme 

dix millieme 



OBSERVATIONS 

'Hie final t is not sounded in vingt (20) which is oro- 
nounced ™ wine). The final t is also sWt' ifquatre-vLgt 

90) lie "r )nOUnCe f cat - re - vin ^ and in quatre-vingt-dix 
*J), which is pronounced cat-re-vin-dis 

21 toalHnclusivl"^ " S ° Unded Vint in aU the numbers from 

Place el (and) between 20 ^0 df) ^n ^n a > s 

make 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 70, 71. ' ' ' and un (one) t0 

. No el Tandj is used after 80 
\ ingl un ). 

"'our twenty and tt^ ? J f" d ten) and luatre-yingt-dix 
»> and ten), (soo-ah-sent-ay-dis) (cat-re-vin-dis). 



(quatre- vingt), 81 (quatre- 



NUMBERS 65 

In order to count from 60 to 80 add to 60 all the numbers 
from 1 to 19 (inclusive). Follow the same rule from 80 to 100. 
Thus : 

70 is sixty and ten (soixante et dix). 

71 is sixty and eleven (soixante-et-onze). 

72 is sixty and twelve (soixante-douze). 

73 is sixty and thirteen (soixante-treize). 

74 is sixty and fourteen (soixante-quatorze). 

75 is sixty and fifteen (soixante-quinze). 

76 is sixty and sixteen (soixante-seize). 

77 is sixty and seventeen (soixante-dix-sept). 

78 is sixty and eighteen (soixante-dix-huit). 

79 is sixty and nineteen (soixante-dix-neuf). 

80 is four twenty (quatre-vingt). 

81 is four twenty and one (quatre- vingt-un). 

82 is four twenty and two (quatre-vingt-deux). 

83 is four twenty and three (quatre-vingt-trois). 

84 is four twenty and four (quatre-vingt-quatre). 

85 is four twenty and five (quatre-vingt-cinq). 

86 is four twenty and six (quatre-vingt-six). 

87 is four twenty and seven (quatre-vingt-sept). 

88 is four twenty and eight (quatre-vingt-huit). 

89 is four twenty and nine (quatre-vingt-neuf). 

90 is four twenty and ten (quatre-vingt-dix). 

91 is four twenty and eleven ( quatre- vingt-onze). 

92 is four twenty and twelve (quatre-vingt-douze). 

93 is four twenty and thirteen (quatre-vingt-treize). 

94 is four twenty and fourteen (quatre-vingt-quatorze). 

95 is four twenty and fifteen (quatre-vingt-quinze). 

96 is four twenty and sixteen (quatre-vingt-seize). 

97 is four twenty and seventeen (quatre-vingt-dix-sept). 

98 is four twenty and eighteen (quatre-vingt-dix-huit). 

99 is four twenty and nineteen (quatre-vingt-dix-neuf). 

100 cent (en in encore). 

101 cent un (sen-er) er nasal. 

209 deux cent neuf (der-sen-nuf). 

210 deux cent dix (der-sen-dis). 
1000 mille (mil). 

10,000 dix mille (dee-mil). 

100,000 cent mille (sen-mil). 

1,000,000 un million. 

zero (naught). 

We do not say one hundred and one thousand, but simply 
hundred (cent) and thousand (mille). One is expressed before 
million and billion or milliard. 



66 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

When cent (100) and mille (1,000) are used substantively 
un (one) is used: 

un cent de pommes (one hundred apples), 
un mille de noix (one thousand nuts), 
un million de soldats (one million soldiers), 
un billion de francs (one billion francs). 

ORDINAL NUMBERS (Nombres Ordinaux). 

The ordinal numbers are formed by adding ieme to the cardi- 
nals, except le premier (the first) and le second (the second). 
The c in second is, by exception, sounded as g is garment. Use 
second when there are only two things and deuxieme when 
there is a third. 

EXAMPLE 

J'ai deux chapeaux : le premier est en feutre et le second 
(gon) est en paille (I have two hats : the first is of felt and the 
second is of straw). 

J'ai trois robes, la premiere est en soie, la deuxieme est en 
satin et la troisieme est en velours (I have three dresses, the 
first is of silk, the second is of satin and the third is of velvet). 

Change f into v in neuvieme. Never elide the e of le (the) 
before huit (8), huitieme (8th), onze (11), onzieme 
(eleventh). 

Unieme (first) is used after 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 
1,000, to make it: 

vingt et unieme cinquante et unieme cent unieme 

trente et unieme soixante et unieme mille et unieme 

quarante et unieme quatre-vingt unieme 

In English you say George the third, Louis the fourteenth. 
In French we use the ordinals only for the first, and after that 
we use the cardinals. 

Napoleon premier (Napoleon the first) 

Napoleon III (trois) (Napoleon the third) 

Henri IV (quatre) (Henry the fourth) 

Louis XVI (seize) (Louis the sixteenth) 

The same rule for the date of the month : 

le premier Janvier (the first of January) 

le deux Fevrier (the second of February) 

le trois Mars (the third of March) 

In spelling the ordinal numbers do not neglect, before adding 
ieme, to elide the final e of quatre (4), onze (11), douze (12), 
treize (13), quatorze (14), quinze (15), seize (16), vingt- 
quatre (24), and all numbers ending in e mute, in order to 
avoid the meeting of two vowels. Add u after the final q in cinq. 



ADVERBS 67 

ADVERBES (ADVERBS) 

MENT (en in encore)— LY 

The adverb which in English, always ends in ly is obtained 
by adding ment to the adjective if it ends in a vowel. If it 
ends in a consonant, an e must be added to form the feminine, 
before adding ment : 

EXAMPLE) 

honnete (honest) grand (masc) (great) 

honnetement (honestly) grande (fern) 

sincere (sincere) grandement (greatly) 

sincerement (sincerely) premier (masc) (first) 

fort (masc) (strong) premiere (fern) 

forte (fern) premierement (firstly) 

fortement (strongly) deuxieme (second) 

deuxiemement (secondly) 

Vingt et cent (20 and 100) take s (the mark of the plural) 
when multiplied by a number and followed immediately by a 
substantive as : 

Cent quatre-vingts francs (one hundred and eighty francs) 

But the s is not used when vingt precedes another number 
as: 

quatre-vingt-trois chevaux (eighty- three horses) 

Cent follows the same rule as' vingt : 

Example; 
cent arbres (one hundred trees) 
cinq cents chevaux (five hundred horses) 
huit cent cinquante francs (eight hundred and fifty francs) 

Mille, signifying ten times one hundred, never takes s (the 
mark of the plural). But mille takes s in the plural when it 
means mile (distance) : 

ma ferme est a huit milles de la ville (my farm is at a dis- 
tance of eight miles from the city) 

Mille is spelled mil in speaking of the dates of the Christian 
era; as l'an mil neuf cent dix-sept (the year one thousand 
nine hundred seventeen) 



68 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

THE TIME (L'heure) 

Quelle heure est-il? (what time is it?) 

First tell the number of hours, then the word heure (hour) 
then the fraction. If there is a fraction over the hour, put the 
word et (and) before the fraction. If there is a fraction less 
than the hour, put the word moins (less) before that fraction. 

II est une heure (it is one o'clock) 

II est deux heures et demie (it is half past two) 

II est quatre heures et quart (it is a quarter past four) 

II est midi et 12 minutes (it is 12 minutes past twelve, noon) 

II est trois heures moins un quart (it is quarter to three) 

II est sept heures moins 5 minutes (it is 5 minutes to seven) 

II est minuit moins 10 minutes (it is 10 minutes to twelve, 
midnight) 

dans un quart d'heure (in one-quarter of an hour) 

dans trois quarts d'heure (in three-quarters of an hour) 

II y a (threre is, there are, ago) 

II y a 24 heures dans un jour (there are 24 hours in one day) 

II y a 60 minutes dans une heure (there are 60 minutes in 
one hour) 

II y a 60 secondes dans une minute (there are 60 seconds in 
one minute) 

II y a trois ans (three years ago) 

II y a longtemps (long time ago) 

une seconde (one second) 

une minute (one minute) 

un quart d'heure (quarter of an hour) 

une demi-heure (one-half hour) 

trois quarts d'heure (three-quarters of an hour) 

Quelle date est-ce aujourd-hui? Quel quantieme avons- 
nous? (What date is it today? 

C'est le 2, le 25, le 30 (it is the second, the twenty-fifth, the 
thirtieth) 

aujourd'hui (today) 

hier (yesterday) 

avant-hier, (the day before yesterday) 

demain (tomorrow) 

apres-demain (the day after tomorrow) 

le jour (the day) 

la veille (the day before) 

ravant-veille (two days before) 

le lendemain (the day after) 

le surlendemain (two days after) 

la semaine prochaine (the next week) 



MISCELLANEOUS NUMBERS 69 

le mois prochain (the next month) 
l'annee prochaine (the next year) 

la semaine passee — la semaine derniere (the past or last 
week) 

le mois passe — le mois dernier (the past or last month) 
l'annee passee — l'annee derniere (the past or last year) 
la veille de Noel (Christmas eve) 



MULTIPLYING NUMBERS 
(N ombres de Multiplication) 

une fois (once) sept fois (seven times) 

deux fois (twice) huit fois (eight times) 

trois fois (thrice) neuf fois (nine times) 

quatre fois (four times) dix fois (ten times) 

cinq fois (five times) and so on. 
six fois (six times) 

COLLECTIVE NUMBERS 
(N ombres Collectifs) 

une couple (a couple) une trentaine (about 30) 

une huitaine (a week) une quarantaine about (40) 

une douzaine (a dozen) une cinquantaine (about 50) 

une demi-douzaine (^2 dozen) une soixantaine (about 60) 

une quinzaine (about 15) une centaine (about 100) 

une vingtaine (about 20) un millier (about 1,000) 

PROPORTIONAL NUMBERS 
(N ombres de Proportion) 

le double (double) le septuple (sevenfold) 

le triple (treble) l'octuple (eightfold) 

le quadruple (fourfold) le nonuple (ninefold) 

le quintuple (fivefold) le decuple (tenfold) 

le sextuple (sixfold) le centuple (hundredfold) 

FRACTIONAL NUMBERS 
(Regie de Fractions) 

le demi — la demie — la moitie les 2 tiers (the two-thirds) . 

the half les 3 quarts (the three- fourths) 

le tiers (the third) un cinquieme (one-fifth) 

le quart (the fourth) un sixieme (one sixth) 



70 CORRECT FRENCH — BINQ 

THE METRIC SYSTEM 
(Le Systeme Metrique) 

The metric system was established in France on the twenty- 
third day of September, 1801. The decimal metric system is a 
legal system for weights and measures. All those measures are 
deducted from the metre, and are the only ones authorized in 
France since the first of January, 1840. 

The metre (the Frenchyard) contains 100 centimetres. 
The four terms which express increase are : 
Deca (ten, signifies ten fold) 
Hecto (hundred, signifies hundred fold) 
Kilo (thousand, signifies one thousand fold) 
Myria (ten thousand, signifies ten thousand fold) 
The three terms which express decrease are : 
Deci (ten, signifies the tenth part) 
Centi (a hundred, signifies the hundredth part) 
Milli (a thousand, signifies the thousandth part) 
The names of all weights and measures are formed by a 
union of the principal terms (metre, litre, gramme, are, stere) 
with one of increase or decrease. Kilogramme, for example, is 
Kilo thousandfold and gramme, and signifies 1000 grammes. 

OBSERVATION 

Although the word centime is generally used to express all 
the fractions from one sou to 19 sous (95 centimes) it is not in 
actual circulation except in the bakers' shops. 

For instance, all bills of sale mention the centimes or frac- 
tions of the centime, but if in the total there are not 5 centimes 
(which is 1 sou) the two or three centimes are reckoned as if it 
was five centimes to the benefit of the dealer. 

FRENCH COIN (Monnaie Frangaise) 

The franc is a silver piece of money weighing five grammes. 
It is the unit for the monetary system. 

The multiples of the franc have no particular names. They 
are called five francs, ten francs, one hundred francs. 

The fractions of the franc are the sou (soo) which contains 
five centimes. There are 100 centimes in one franc. 

BRONZE COINS (Monnaie de Bronze) 
one centime 
two centimes 

five centimes (or) un sou (half penny) 
ten centimes (or) deux sous (a penny) (or) un gros sou 



COINS AND WEIGHTS 71 

SILVER COIN (Monnaie d'argent) 

piece de cinq sous, vingt-cinq centimes (quarter of a franc) 
un demi franc, piece de dix sous, cinquante centimes (half a 
franc) 

un franc, piece de vingt sous (a franc) 

deux francs, piece de quarante sous (two francs) 

piece de cinq francs, piece de cent sous (five francs) 

GOLD COIN (Monnaie d'or) 

piece de cinq francs (5 francs) 
piece de dix francs (10 francs) 
piece de vingt francs (20 francs) 
piece de quarante francs (40 francs) 
piece de cent francs (100 francs) 

BANK NOTES (Billets de Banque) 

Billet de banque de 100 francs (bank note of 100 francs) 

(about $20.00) 
Billet de banque de 200 francs (bank note of 200 francs) 

(about $40.00) 
Billet de banque de 500 francs (bank note of 500 francs) 

(about $100.00) 
Billet de banque de 1,000 francs (bank note of 1,000 francs) 

(about $200.00) 

WEIGHTS— (Poids) 

One gramme the unit of the metric system for weights, is 
equivalent to a little less than 19 grains. 

one grain is equivalent to the 72d part of 1 gros. 

one gros is the 8th part of 1 ounce 

one ounce is the 16th part of 1 pound. 

1 livre (or demi kilo) (1 pound) weighs 500 grammes 

1 kilo (or 2 pounds) weighs 1,000 grammes 

The word kilo is an abbreviation of kilogramme. 

The multiples (for increase) are: 

Decagramme, weighs 10 grammes 

Hectogramme, weighs 100 grammes 

Kilogramme, weighs 1,000 grammes 

Myriagramme, weighs 10,000 grammes 
The quintal metrique weighs 50 kilogrammes. 
The millier (or ton) (tonneau de mer) weighs 1,000 kilo- 
grammes. 



72 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

The sous multiples (for decrease) are: 

The decigramme weighs the 10th part of 1 gramme. 
The centigramme weighs the 100th part of 1 gramme. 
The milligramme weighs the 1,000th part of 1 gramme, 
un quart de livre (% pound) contains 4 ounces and weighs 
125 grammes. 

une demi-livre (y 2 pound) contains 8 ounces and weighs 250 
grammes. 

trois quarts de livre (% pound) contains 12 ounces and 
weighs 375 grammes. 

CAPACITY MEASURES (Mesures de Capacite) 
For measuring liquids, also grain, salt, dried peas, beans, etc : 
le litre (a cubic decimeter) le kilolitre (1,000 litres) 
le decalitre (10 litres) le myrialitre (10,000 litres) 

l'hectolitre (100 litres) 

sous multiples (for decrease) 
le decilitre (10th of a litre) la chopine or y 2 a litre (pint) 
le centilitre (100 of a litre) une feuillette (a cask) . 

ITINERARY MEASURES (Mesures Itineraires) 
(For measuring distance) 
The multiples are : 

le metre (or 1 yard 3^ inches) 
le decametre (10 metres) 
l'hectometre (100 metres) 
le kilometre (1,000 metres) 
le myriametre (10,000 metres) 

MEASURES OF LENGTH (Mesures de longueur) 
(For measuring stuff) 
Le metre (the French yard) is 9 centimetres, or 3j4 inches 
longer than the yard measure. 

The metre contains 100 centimetres. The sous-multiples are : 
decimetre (10th of a metre) 
centimetre (100th part of a metre) 
millimetre (1,000th of a metre) 

SOLID MEASURES (For Wood) 
stere (1 cubic metre) decistere (10th of a stere) 

decastere (10 steres) 

Mesures de superficie pour les terrains (for surveying land) 
Tare (100 square metres) l'hectare (100 ares) 

le centiare (contains the hundredth part of one are, or a 
square metre. 



VERB — to have: 73 

VERBS 

A verb is called auxiliary when it helps to form the com- 
pound tenses of all verbs with the addition of the past participle 
of the verb to be conjugated. In French there are only two 
auxiliary verbs: avoir (to have) and etre (to be). 

A tense is called primitive when it helps to form the others, 
which are called derivatives. 

On (one, they, the people) is an indefinite pronoun which is 
always used in the third person singular. It is used where the 
passive form is used in English as : I am told (On me dit) . 

Qui vous a donne tous ces details? (Who gave you all these 
particulars?) 

On m'a raconte tout cela hier (One has related all that to 
me yesterday.) 

On dit (They say), On espere (They hope), On pense (They 
think), On craint (They fear). 



AUXILIARY VERB, TO HAVE 
(Verbe Avoir Auxiliaire) 

Temps primitifs (primitive tenses) 
Forme affirmative (affirmative form) 

eu (had) is sounded like the vowel u throughout the whole 
conjugation of avoir. 

INFINITIVE mood 
Infinitif present — avoir (present infinitive — to have) 
Passe — avoir eu (pronounced u) (past — to have had.) 

Participes (Participles) 
Present — ayant (ay-yan as in blanc) (present — having) 
Passe — ayant eu (past — having had) 

Participe passe — eu (mas) eue (fern) (pronounced u) (past 
participle — had. ) 

mode; indicate (Indicative Mood) 

1. Present form — I have. 

2. Progressive form— I am having. 

3. Emphatic form — I do have. 

All these three forms are expressed by one single form. 



74 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



Indie atif Present 
J'ai 
Tu as 
II a 
Ellea 

Nous avons 
Vous avez 
lis ont 
Elles ont 



Present Indicative 
I have 
Thou hast 
He has 
She has 
We have 
You have 
They have (masc) 
They have (fern) 



COMPOUND OF THE PRESENT INDICATIVE 



Passe IndeHni 
J'ai eu (u) 
Tu as eu 
II a eu 
Elle a eu 
Nous avons eu 
Vous avez eu 
lis ont eu 
Elles ont eu 



Past Indefinite 
I have had 
Thou hast had 
He has had 
She has had 
We have had 
You have had 
They have had (mas) 
They have had (fern) 



imperfect indicative (Imparfait de l'indicatif) 

1. Past form — I had. 

2. Progressive form — I was having. 

3. Emphatic form — I did have. 

4. The emphatic past form — I used to have. 

All these four forms are expressed by one single form : 



J'avais 
Tu avais 
II avait 
Elle avait 
Nous avions 
Vous aviez 
lis avaient 
Elles avaient 



I had 

Thou hadst 

He had 

She had 

We had 

You had 

They had (mas) 

They had (fern) 



ent, forming the end of the third person plural of verbs, is 
always silent. The final t is carried to the next word, if it be- 
gins with a vowel or a silent h. 



VERB — TO have; 



75 



COMPOUND OF 

Plus-que-parfait 
J'avais eu 
Tu avais eu 
II avait eu 
Elle avait eu 
Nous avions eu 
Vous aviez eu 
lis avaient eu 
Elles avaient eu 



THE IMPERFECT INDICATIVE 

Pluperfect 
I had had 
Thou hadst had 
He had had 
She had had 
We had had 
You had had 
They had had (masc) 
They had had (fern) 



The past definite is also called the historical tense, because it 
is used for relating events which took place at a time of which 
the present time forms no part. 



Passe Defini 
J'eus (u) 
Tu eus 
II eut 
Elle eut 
Nous eumes 
Vous eutes 
lis eurent 
Elles eurent 



Past Definite 
I had 
Thou hadst 
He had 
She had 
We had 
You had 
They had (ma) 
They had (fern) 



COMPOUND OP THE PAST DEFINITE OR THE HISTORICAL TENSE 



Pasise Anterieur 
J'eus eu (u) 
Tu eus eu 
II eut eu 
Elle eut eu 
Nous eumes eu 
Vous eutes eu 
lis eurent eu 
Elles eurent eu 

Putur Simple 
J'aurai 
Tu auras 
II aura 
Elle aura 
Nous aurons 
Vous aurez 
lis auront 
Elles auront 



Past Anterior 
I had had 
Thou hadst had 
He had had 
She had had 
We had had 
You had had 
They had had (mas) 
They had had (fern) 

Future 
I shall have 
Thou wilt have 
He will have 
She will have 
We shall have 
You will have 
They will have (mas) 
They will have (fern) 



76 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



Futur Anterieur 

J'aurai eu (u) 
Tu auras eu 
II aura eu 
Elle aura eu 
Nous aurons eu 
Vous aurez eu 
lis auront eu 
Elles auront eu 



compound o£ the: future: 

Past Future 
I shall have had 
Thou wilt have had 
He will have had 
She will have had 
We shall have had 
You will have had 
They will have had (mas) 
They will have had (fern) 



Conditionel Present 
J'aurais 
Tu aurais 
II aurait 
Elle aurait 
Nous aurions 
Vous auriez 
lis auraient 
Elles auraient 



Conditional Present 

I should have 

Thou wouldst have 

He would have 

She would have 

We should have 

You would have 

They would have (mas) 

They would have (fern) 



COMPOUND OP THF CONDITIONAL 



Conditionel Passe 
J'aurais eu (u) 
Tu aurais eu 
II aurait eu 
Elle aurait eu 
Nous aurions eu 
Vous auriez eu . 
lis auraient eu 
Elles auraient eu 



Conditional Past 
I should have had 
Thou wouldst have had 
He would have had 
She would have had 
We should have had 
You would have had 
They would have had (mas) 
They would have had (fern) 



imperative: mood 



Imperatif 
aie 

qu'il ait 
qu'elle ait 
ayons 
ayez 

qu'ils aient 
qu'elles aient 



Imperative 
have (thou) 
let him have 
let her have 
let us have 
have (you) 
let them have (mas) 
let them have (fern) 



VEjRB TO have: 77 

subjunctive; mood 
Subjonctif Present Subjunctive Present 

Que j'aie That I may have 

Que tu aies That thou mayst have 

Qu'il ait That he may have 

Qu'elle ait That she may have 

Que nous ayons That we may have 

Que vous ayez That you may have . 

Qu'ils aient That they may have (mas) 

Qu'elles aient That they may have (fern) 

COMPOUND OF THE) SUBJUNCTIVE: 

Subjonctif Passe Subjunctive Past 

Que j'aie eu (u) That I may have had 

Que tu aies eu That thou mayst have had 

Qu il ait eu That he may have had 

Qu'elle ait eu That she may have had 

Que nous ayons eu That we may- have had 

Que vous ayez eu That you may have had 

Qu'ils aient eu That they may have had (mas) 

Qu'elles aient eu That they may have had (fern) 

Imparfait du Subjonctif Imperfect Subjunctive 

Que j'eusse( us) That I might have 

Que tu eusses That thou mightst have 

Qu'il eut That he might have 

Qu'elle eut That she might have 

Que nous eussions That we might have 

Que vous eussiez That you might have 

Qu'ils eussent That they might have (mas) 

Qu'elles eussent That they might have (fern) 

COMPOUND OP THE; IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE; 

Plus-que-parfait Pluperfect 

Quej'eusse eu That I might have had 

Que tu eusses eu That thou mightst have had 

Qu'il eut eu That he might have had 

Qu'elle eut eu That she might have had 

Que nous eussions eu That we might have had 

Que vous eussiez eu That you might have had 

Qu'ils eussent eu That they might have had (mas) 

Qu'elles eussent eu That they might have had ( fern) 

As the verbs avoir (to have) and etre (to be) are used as 
auxiliaries to conjugate all the verbs in their compound tenses, 
I suggest that the student should commit them to memory. 
They will find that this little exertion will be repaid many fold. 



78 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



AUXILIARY VERB, TO BE 
(Verbe Auxiliaire etre) 

Temps primitifs (primitive tenses) 
Forme affirmative (affirmative form) 

INFINITIVE MOOD 

Infinitif present — etre (present infinitive — to be) 
Passe — avoir ete (past — to have been) 

participes (Participles) 
Present — etant (present — being) 
Passe — ayant ete (past — having been) 
Participe passe — ete (past participle — been.) 

indicative mood ( Mode Indicatif) 



Indicatif Present 
Je suis 
Tu es 
II est 
Elle est 
Nous sommes 
Vous etes 
lis sont 
Elles sont 



Present Indicative 
I am 
Thou art 
He is 
She is 
We are 
You are 
They are (mas) 
They are (fern) 



REMARK 

In ils sont and elles sont (they are), the s of sont being initial, 
has the sound of s in son — while in ils ont and elles ont (they 
have), the final s of ils and elles is carried to the word ont and 

has the sound of z in zone. 



COMPOUND OP THE PRESENT INDICATIVE 



Passe IndeHni 
J'ai ete 
Tu as ete 
II a ete 
EUe a ete 
Nous avons ete 
Yous avez ete 
Ils ont ete 
Elles ont ete 



Past Indefinite 
I have been 
Thou hast been 
He has been 
She has been 
We have been 
You have been 
They have been (mas) 
They have been (fern) 



VERB — TO BE 



79 



I m par fait 
J'etais 
Tu etais 
II etait 
Elle etait 
Nous etions 
Vous etiez 
lis etaient 
Elles etaient 



de rindicatif 



Imperfect Indicative 

I was 

Thou wast 

He was 

She was 

We were 

You were 

They were (mas) 

They were (fem) 



COMPOUND OF THE IMPERFECT INDICATIVE 



Plus-que-parfait 
J'avais ete 
Tu avais ete 
II avait ete 
Elle avait ete 
Nous avions ete 
Vous aviez ete 
lis avaient ete 
Elles avaient ete 

passe DeHni 

Je fus 
Tu fus 
II fut 
Elle fut 
Nous fumes 
Vous futes 
lis furent 
Elles furent 



Pluperfect 
I had been 
Thou hadst been 
He had been 
She had been 
We had been 
You had been 
They had been (mas) 
They had been (fem) 

Past Definite, also called histo- 
rical tense 
I was 
Thou wast 
He was 
She was 
We were 
You were 
They were (mas) 
They were (fem) 



COMPOUND OF THE PAST DEFINITE 



Passe Anterieur 
J'eus ete 
Tu eus ete 
II eut ete 
Elle eut ete 
Nous eumes ete 
Vous eutes ete 
lis eurent ete 
Elles eurent ete 



Past Anterior 
I had been 
Thou hadst been 
He had been 
She had been 
We had been 
You had been 
They had been (mas) 
They had been (fem) 



80 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



Futur Simple 
Je serai 
Tu seras 
II sera 
Elle sera 
Nous serons 
Vous serez 
lis seront 
Elles seront 



Future 
I shall or will be 
Thou wilt be 
He will be 
She will be 
We shall be 
You will be 
They will be (mas) 
They will be (fern) 



COMPOUND OF THE FUTURE 



Futur Anterieur 
J'aurai ete 
Tu auras ete 
II aura ete 
Elle aura ete 
Nous aurons ete 
Vous aurez ete 
lis auront ete 
Elles auront ete 

Conditionel Present 
Je serais 
Tu serais 
II serait 
Elle serait 
Nous serions 
Vous seriez 
lis seraient 
Elles seraient 



Past Future 
I shall have been 
Thou wilt have been 
He w T ill have been 
She will have been 
We shall have been 
You will have been 
They will have been (mas) 
They will have been (fern) 

Conditional Present 
I should or would be 
Thou wouldst be 
He would be 
She would be 
We should be 
You would be 
They would be (mas) 
They would be (fern) 



COMPOUND OF THE CONDITIONAL 



Conditionel Passe 
J'aurais ete 
Tu aurais ete 
II aurait ete 
Elle aurait ete 
Nous aurions ete 
Vous auriez ete 
lis auraient ete 
Elles auraient ete 



Conditional Past 
I should have been 
Thou wouldst have been 
He would have been 
She would have been 
We should have been 
You would have been 
They would have been (mas) 
They would have been (fern) 



VERB — TO BE 



81 



IMPERATIVE MOOD 



Imperatif 


Imperative 


Sois 


Be (thou) 


Qu'il soit 


Let him be 


Qu'elle soit 


Let her be 


Soyons 


Let us be 


Soyez 


Be (you) 


Qu'ils soient 


Let them be (mas) 


Qu'elles soient 


Let them be (fern) 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD 



Subjonctif Present 
Que je sois 
Que tu sois 
Qu'il soit 
Qu'elle soit 
Que nous soyons 
Que vous soyez 
Qu'ils soient 
Qu'elles soient 



Subjunctive Present 
That I may be 
That thou mayst be 
That he may be 
That she may be 
That we may be 
That you may be 
That they may be (mas) 
That they may be (fern) 



COMPOUND OE THE SUBJUNCTIVE 



Subjonctif Passe 
Que j'aie ete 
Que tu aies ete 
Qu'il ait ete 
Qu'elle ait ete 
Que nous ayons ete 
Que vous ayez ete 
Qu'ils aient ete 
Qu'elles aient ete 

Imparfait du Subjonctif 
Que je fusse 
Que tu fusses 
Qu'il fut 
Qu'elle fut 
Que nous fussions 
Que vous fussiez 
Qu'ils fussent 
Qu'elles fussent 



Subjunctive Past 
That I may have been 
That thou mayst have been 
That he may have been 
That she may have been 
That we may have been 
That you may have been 
That they may have been (mas) 
That they may have been ( fern ) 

Imperfect Subjunctif 
That I might be 
That thou mightst be 
That he might be 
That she might be 
That we might be 
That you might be 
That they might be (mas) 
That they might be (fern) 



82 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

COMPOUND OF THE IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE 

Plus-que-parfait Pluperfect 

Que j'eusse ete That I might have been 

Que tu eusses ete That thou mightst have been 

Qu'il eut ete That he might have been 

Qu'elle eut ete That she might have been 

Que nous eussions ete That we might have been 

Que vous eussiez ete That you might have been 

Qu'ils eussent ete That they might have been (mas) 

Qu'elles eussent ete That they might have been (fern) 

TE VERBE (THE VERB) 

There are four different conjugations. They are distin- 
guished b)^ the endings of the infinitive (the verb itself). 

The Infinitive endings are : 

In the first conjugation er, as coup-er, (to cut). 

In the second conjugation ir, as fin-ir, (to finish). 

In the third conjugation oir, as recev-oir, (to receive). 

In the fourth conjugation re, as vend-re, (to sell). 

A verb consists of two parts, the root and the ending. The 
root is what remains after striking off the infinitive ending ; as 
couper (to cut) ; root, coup; ending, er. 

The present participle of all French verbs (without excep- 
tion) ends in ant, while in English it ends in ing. 

OBSERVATION 

The verbs of the first conjugation (ending in er) are all 
regular. That means that they are conjugated like the model 
verb couper (to cut). 

There are only two irregular verbs in the first conjugation. 
They are: aller (to go), and envoyer (to send). 

There is a considerable number of verbs in the first con- 
jugation. Almost every action is expressed by those verbs. 
Consequently you will find it an easy task to know that, ex- 
cepting aller (to go), and envoyer (to send), you may be cer- 
tain that all other verbs ending in er are regular. 



FIRST CONJUGATION — E)R 83 

FIRST CONJUGATION IN ER 

(Premiere Co njugaison*) 

Affirmative form, coup-er (to cut). 

infinitive: mood 
Present — couper (to cut). 
Past — avoir coupe (to have cut). 

participles 
Present — coupant ( cutting) . 
Past — ayant coupe (having cut). 
Past — coupe (cut). 

indicative: mood 
Indicatif Present (Present) 
Je'coup-e (I cut) 
Tu coup-es (Thou cuttest) 
II coup-e (He cuts) 
Elle coup-e (She cuts) 
Nous coup-ons (We cut) 
Vous coup-ez (You cut) 
lis coup-ent (They cut (mas) 
Elles coup-ent (They cut (fern) 

The endings for all verbs (ending in er) of the first conjuga- 
tion are e, es, e for the three persons singular and ent for the 
third person plural, which are silent, therefore the root only is 
sounded. 

There is only one form to express the present in French — Je 
coupe (I cut) — while there are three forms in English, which 
are: 

1. The present — I cut. 

2. The progressive form — I am cutting. 

3. The emphatic form — I do cut. 

These three forms express that the action takes place now, 
at the present time, and must be translated in each case by 
using the simple and only form existing in French. 

The past indefinite, or compound, of the present indicative 
is obtained by using the present indicative of the auxiliary 
verb avoir (to have )and adding to every person the past 
participle of the verb to be conjugated. 



84 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

Passe Indeiini 

Past Indefinite or Compound of the Present Indicative 

J'ai coupe I have cut 

Tu as coupe Thou hast cut 

II a coupe He has cut 

Elle a coupe She has cut 

Nous avons coupe We have cut 

Vous avez coupe You have cut 

lis ont coupe They have cut (mas) 

Elles ont coupe They have cut (fern) 

The endings for the imperfect indicative of all verbs (with- 
out exception) are: 

For the three persons singular — ais, ais, ait. 

For the three persons plural — ions, iez, aient. 

These endings are the same as those of the conditional 
present of all verbs (without exception), I should or would, 
etc. The root only is different. 

For the imperfect indicative the endings are added to the 
root of the verb and for the conditional they are added to the 
infinitive in full. 

Note — After si (if), the imperfect indicative is used instead 
of the conditional. Example: If you should hear the thunder. 
(Si vous entendiez le tonnerre) (not entendriez). 

The imperfect indicative indicates that the action or state 
is past. 

There are four forms to express it in English : 

1. The simple past form — I cut. 

2. The former past form — I used to cut. 

3. The progressive past form — I was cutting. 

4. The emphatic past form — I did cut. 

All these four forms are equivalent to only one form in 
French — Je coupais. 

Imparfait de VIndicatif (Imperfect Indicative) 

Je coup-ais I was cutting 

Tu coup-ais Thou wast cutting 

II coup-ait He was cutting 

Elle coup-ait She was cutting 

Nous coup-ions We were cutting 

Vous coup-iez You were cutting 

lis coup-aient They were cutting (mas) 

Elles coup-aient They were cutting (fern) 



FIRST CONJUGATION — %R 85 

The pluperfect indicative, or compound of imperfect indi- 
cative, is obtained by using the imperfect indicative of the 
auxiliary verb avoir (to have) and adding to every person the 
past participle of the verb to be conjugated. 

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect or Compound of the Imperfect 

Indicative) 

J'avais coupe I had cut 

Tu avais coupe Thou hadst cut 

II avait coupe He had cut 

Elle avait coupe She had cut 

Nous avions coupe We had cut 

Vous aviez coupe You had cut 

lis avaient coupe They had cut (mas) 

Elles avaient coupe They had cut (fern) 

Remember that ent forming the ending of the third person 
plural of verbs is always silent. 

lis avaient is pronounced avait, like the third person singu- 
lar. 



The past definite, which is also called historical tense, is 
used when relating to events which took place at a time entirely 
past and of which the present time forms no part. 

In ordinary conversation we use the past indefinite or com- 
pound of the present indicative in preference to the past defi- 
nite or historical tense. 

The endings for the past definite or historical tense for all 
verbs of the first conjugation (ending in er), without excep- 
tion, are: 

For the three persons singular — ai, as, a. For the three per- 
sons plural — ames, ates, erent, added to the root of the verb. 

Passe Deftni (Past Definite or Historical Tense) 

Je coup-ai I cut or did cut 

Tu coup-as Thou cuttest or did cut 

II coup-a He cut or did cut 

Elle coup-a She cut or did cut 

Nous coup-ames We cut or did cut 

Vous coup-ates You cut or did cut 

lis coup-erent They cut or did cut (mas) 

Elles coup-erent They cut or did cut (fern) 



86 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

The past anterior or compound of the past definite or histori- 
cal tense is obtained by using the past definite of the auxiliary 
verb avoir (to have) and adding to every person the past 
participle of the verb to be conjugated. 

J'eus coupe I had cut 

Tu eus coupe Thou hadst cut 

II eut coupe He had cut 

Elle eut coupe She had cut 

Nous eumes coupe We had cut 

Vous eutes coupe You had cut 

lis eurent coupe They had cut (mas) 

Elles eurent coupe They had cut (fern) 

The endings for the future of all verbs (without exceptions) 
are: 

For the three persons singular — ai, as, a. For the three per- 
sons plural — ons, ez, ont. These endings are added to the 
infinitive in full to form the future : I shall or will, etc. These 
endings are similar to the present indicative of the auxiliary 
verb avoir (to have). 

J'ai-tu as-il a-nous av-ons vous av-ez-ils ont. 

As the infinitive of all verbs which forms the future and the 
conditional always ends in r those two tenses are readily recog- 
nized because there is always an r before their endings. 

For the future— I shall or will, etc: rai, ras, ra, rons, rez, 
ront. 

For the conditional — I should or would, etc. : rais, rais, rait, 
rions, riez, raient. 

Futur Simple {Future) 

Je couper-ai I shall or will cut 

Tu couper-as Thou shalt or wilt cut 

II couper-a He shall or will cut 

Elle couper-a She shall or will cut 

Nous couper-ons We shall or will cut 

Vous couper-ez You shall or will cut 

lis couper-ont They shall or will cut (mas) 

Elles couper-ont They shall or will cut (fern) 

OBSERVATION 
Je cou-pe-rai. The syllabic division takes place according 
to the general rule. Each syllable must (when possible) begin 
with a consonant, but when there are three or more syllables 
in a word the e mute is not sounded. Consequently cou-pe-rai 
is pronounced as if spelt cou-prai, etc. 



FIRST CONJUGATION — £R 



87 



The future anterior or compound of the simple future is 
obtained by using the future tense of the auxiliary verb avoir 
(to have) and adding to every person the past participle of the 
verb to be conjugated. 

Futur Anterieur (Past Future) 

J'aurai coupe I shall have cut 

Tu auras coupe Thou shalt have cut 

II aura coupe He shall have cut 

Elle aura coupe She shall have cut 

Nous aurons coupe We shall have cut 

Vous aurez coupe You shall have cut 

lis auront coupe They shall have cut (mas) 

Elles auront coupe They shall have cut (fern) 

The future is used when referring to an event which will 
take place at a future time. 

Conditionel Present (Conditional Present) 

Je couper-ais I should or would cut 

Tu couper-ais Thou shouldst or wouldst cut 

II couper-ait He should or would cut 

Elle couper-ait She should or would cut 

Nous couper-ions We should or would cut 

Vous couper-iez You should or would cut 

lis couper-aient They should or would cut (mas) 

Elles couper-aient They should or would cut( fern) 

The conditional expresses the action as taking place in the 
future, but subject to a condition. 

The conditional past, or compound of the conditional present, 
is obtained by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb 
avoir (to have) and adding to every person the past participle 
of the verb to be conjugated. 



Conditionel Pass'e 
J'aurais coupe 
Tu aurais coupe 

II aurait coupe 
Elle aurait coupe 
Nous aurions coupe 
Vous auriez coupe 
lis auraient coupe 

Elles auraient coupe 



(Conditional Past) 

I should or would have cut 

Thou shouldst or wouldst have 

cut 
He should or would have cut 
She should or would have cut 
We should or would have cut 
You should or would have cut 
They should or would have cut 

(mas) 
They should or would have cut 

(fern) 



88 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



The imperative mood has but one tense, present or future 
It is used for commanding, exhorting, requesting or reproving. 

Imperatif Imperative 

Coupe cut (thou) 

Qu'il coupe let him cut 

Qu'elle coupe let her cut 

Coupons let us cut 

Coupez cut (you) 

Qu'ils coupent let them cut (mas) 

Qu'elles coupent let them cut (fern) 

The subjunctive mood is dependent upon and subordinate to 
another verb. It is used to express hope, fear, anxiety, doubt, 
wish, command, order, etc. 

Subjonctif Present (Present of the Subjunctive) 
Que je coup-e That I may cut 

Que tu coup-es That thou mayst cut 

Qu'il coup-e That he may cut 

Qu'elle coup-e That she may cut 

Que nous coup-ions That we may cut 

Que vous coup-iez That you may cut 

Qu'ils coup-ent That they may cut (mas) 

Qu'elles coup-ent That they may cut (fern) 

The preterit, or past, compound of the subjunctive present 
is obtained by using the present subjunctive tense of the aux- 
iliary verb avoir (to have) and adding to every person the 
past participle of the verb to be conjugated. 

Preterit du Subjonctif (Subjunctive Past) 
Que j'aie coupe That I may have cut 

Que tu aies coupe That thou mayst have cut 

Qu'il ait coupe That he may have cut 

Qu'elle ait coupe That she may have cut 

Que nous ayons coupe That we may have cut 

Que vous ayez coupe That you may have cut 

Qu'ils aient coupe That they may have cut (mas) 

Qu'elles aient coupe That they may have cut (fern) 

Imparfait du Subjonctif (Imperfect of the Subjunctive) 

Que je coup-asse That I might cut 

Que tu coup-asses That thou mightst cut 

Qu'il coup-at That he might cut 

Qu'elle coup-at That she might cut 

Que nous coup-assions That we might cut 

Que-vous coup-assiez That you might cut 

Qu'ils coup-assent That they might cut (mas) 

Qu'elles coup-assent That they might cut (fern) 



. 



SECOND CONJUGATION — IR 89 

The pluperfect or compound of the imperfect subjunctive 
is obtained by using the imperfect subjunctive tense of the 
auxiliary verb avoir (to have) and adding to every person 
the past participle of the verb to be conjugated. 

Plus-que- par fait du Subjonctif (Pluperfect Subjunctive) 

Que j'eusse coupe That I might have cut 

Que tu eusses coupe That thou mightst have cut 

Qu'il eut coupe That he might have cut 

Qu'elle eut coupe That she might have cut 

Que nous eussions coupe That we might have cut 

Que vous eussiez coupe That you might have cut 

Qu'ils eussent coupe That they might have cut (mas) 

Qu'elles eussent coupe That they might have cut (fern) 

SECOND CONJUGATION IN IR 
(Deuxiem e Conjugaison) 

Model verb, finir (to finish). 

INFINITIVE MOOD 

Present — finir (to finish) 
Past — avoir fini (to have finished) 
Present participle — finissant (finishing) 
Past — avant fini (having finished). 
Past participle — fini (finished). 

INDICATIVE MOOD 

Present — (simple tense) I finish, I am finishing, I do finish. 

Je finis I finish 

Tu finis Thou finishest 

II fimt He finishes 

Elle finit She finishes 

Nous finissons We finish 

Vous finissez You finish 

lis finissent They finish (mas) 

Elles finissent They finish (fern) 

Past Indefinite (Compound of the Present Indicative) 

J'ai fini I have finished 

Tu as fini Thou hast finished 

II a fini He has finished 

Elle a fini She has finished 

Nous avons fini We have finished 

Vous avez fini You have finished 

lis ont fini They have finished (mas) 

Elles ont fini They have finished (fern) 



90 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



Imperfect — (single tense) I finished, I was finishing, I did 
finish, I used to finish. 



Je finissais 


I finished 


Tu finissais 


Thou didst finish 


11 finissait 


He finished 


EHe finissait 


She finished 


Nous finissions 


We finished 


Vous finissiez 


You finished 


lis finissaient 


They finished (mas) 


Elles finissaient 


They finished (fern) 


Pluperfect (Compound of the Imperfect) 


J'avais fini 


I had finished 


Tu avais fini 


Thou hadst finished 


11 avait fini 


He had finished 


Elle avait fini 


She had finished 


Nous avions fini 


We had finished 


Vous aviez fini 


You had finished 


lis avaient fini 


They had finished (mas) 


Elles avaient fini 


They had finished (fern) 


Past Definite 


(Simple tense) 


Je finis 


I finished 


Tu finis 


Thou didst finish 


11 finit 


He finished 


Elle finit 


She finished 


Nous finimes 


We finished 


Vous finites 


You finished 


lis finirent 


They finished (mas) 


Elles finirent 


They finished (fern) 



Past Anterior (Compound of the Past Definite) 



J'eus fini 
Tu eus fini 
II eut fini 
Elle eut fini 
Nous eumes fini 
Vous eutes fini 
lis eurent fini 
Elles eurent fini 



I had finished 

Thou hadst finished 

He had finished 

She had finished 

We had finished 

You had finished 

They had finished (mas) 

They had finished (fern) 



SECOND CONJUGATION IR 91 

Future (Simple tense) 

Je finirai I shall finish 

Tu finiras Thou wilt finish 

II finira He will finish 

Elle finira She will finish 

Nous finirons We shall finish 

Vous finirez You will finish 

lis finiront They will finish (mas) 

Elles finiront They will finish (fern) 

Future Anterior (Compound of the Future) 

J'aurai fini I shall have finished 

Tu auras fini Thou wilt have finished 

II aura fini . He will have finished 

Elle aura fini She will have finished 

Nous aurons fini We shall have finished 

Vous aurez fini You will have finished 

lis auront fini They will have finished (mas) 

Elles auront fini They will have finished (fern) 

Conditional Mood — Present (Simple tense) 

Je finirais I should finish 

Tu finirais Thou wouldst finish 

II finirait He would finish 

Elle finirait She would finish 

Nous finirions We should finish 

Vous finiriez You would finish 

lis finiraient They would finish (mas) 

Elles finiraient They would finish (fem) 

Past Conditional (Compound of the Conditional) 

J'aurais fini I should have finished 

Tu aurais fini Thou wouldst have finished 

II aurait fini He would have finished 

Elle aurait fini She would have finished 

Nous aurions fini We should have finished 

Vous auriez fini You would have finished 

lis auraient fini They would have finished (mas) 

Elles auraient fini They would have finished (fem) 



92 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



Imperative Mood 



finis 

qu'il finisse 

qu'elle finisse 

finissons 

finissez 

qu'ils finissent 

qu'elles finissent 



finish (thou) 

let him finish 

let her finish 

let us finish 

finish (you) 

let them finish (mas) 

let them finish (fern) 



Subjunctive Mood — Present (Simple tense) 



Que je finisse 
Que tu finisses 
Qu'il finisse 
Qu'elle finisse 
Que nous finissions 
Que vous finissiez 
Qu'ils finissent 
Qu'elles finissent 



That I may finish 
That thou mayst finish 
That he may finish 
That she may finish 
That we may finish 
That you may finish 
That they may finish (mas) 
That they may finish (fern) 



Past Subjunctive (Compound of the Present) 



Que j'aie fini 
Que tu aies fini 
Qu'il ait fini 
Qu'elle ait fini 
Que nous ayons fini 
Que vous ayez fini 
Qu'ils aient fini 
Qu'elles aient fini 



That I may have finished 
That thou mayst have finished 
That he may have finished 
That she may have finished 
That we may have finished 
That you may have finished 
That they may have finished(m) 
That they may have finished ( f ) 



Imperfect Subjunctive (Simple tense) 



Que je finisse 
Que tu finisses 
Qu'il finit 
Qp'elle finit 
Que nous finissions 
Que vous finissiez 
Qu'ils finissent 
Qu'elles finissent 



That I might finish 
That thou migtst finish 
That he might finish 
That she might finish 
That we might finish 
That you might finish 
That they might finish (mas) 
That they might finish (fern) 



THIRD CONJUGATION — OIR 93 

Pluperfect Subjunctive (Compound of the Imperfect) 

Que j'eusse fini That I might have finished 

Que tu eusses fini That thou mightst have finished 

Qu'il eut fini That he might have finished 

Qu'elle eut fini That she might have finished 

Que nous eussions fini That we might have finished 

Que vous eussiez fini That you might have finished 

Qu'ils eussent fini That they might have finished (m) 

Qu'elles eussent fini That they might have finished(f) 



THIRD CONJUGATION IN OIR 

(Troisieme Conjugaison) 

Model verb — recevoir (to receive). 

INFINITIVE) MOOD 

Present — recevoir (to receive) 
Past — avoir regit (to have received) 
Present participle — recevant (receiving) 
Past — ayant regu (having received) 
Past Participle — regu (received) 

INDICATIVE MOOD 

Present — (simple tense) I receive, I am receiving, I do re- 
ceive. 

Je recois I receive 

Tu regois Thou receivest 

II regoit He receives 

Elle regoit She receives 

Nous recevons We receive 

Vous recevez You receive 

lis regoivent They receive (mas) 

Elles regoivent They receive (fern ) 

Past Indefinite (Compound of the Present Indicative) 

J'ai regu I have received 

Tu as regu Thou hast received 

II a regu He has received 

Elle a regu She has received 

Nous avons regu We have received 

Vous avez regu You have received 

lis ont regu They have received (mas) 

Elles ont regu They have received (fern) 



94 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



Imperfect (simple tense) I received, I was receiving, I did 
receive, I used to receive. 



Je recevais 
Tu recevais 
II recevait 
Elle recevait 
Nous recevions 
Vous receviez 
lis recevaient 
Elles recevaient 



I received 

Thou wast receiving 

He received 

She received 

We received 

You received 

They received (mas) 

They received (fern) 



Pluperfect {Compound of the Imperfect) 



J'avais regu 
Tu avais regu 
II avait regu 
Elle avait regu 
Nous avions regu 
Vous aviez regu 
lis avaient regu 
Elles avaient regu 



I had received 

Thou hadst received 

He had received 

She had received 

We had received 

You had received 

They had received (mas) 

They had received (fern) 



Past Definite {Simple tense) 

Je regus I received 

Tu regus Thou receivedst 

II regut He received 

Elle regut She received 

Nous regumes We received 

Vous regutes You received 

lis regurent They received (mas) 

Elles regurent They received (fern) 



Past Anterior (Compound of the Past Definite) 



J'eus regu 
Tu eus regu 
II eut recu 
Elle eut regu 
Nous eimies regu 
Vous eutes regu 
lis eurent regu 
Elles eurent regu 



I had received 
Thou hadst received 
He had received 
She had received 
We had received 
You had received 
They had received 
They had received 



(mas) 
(fern) 



THIRD CONJUGATION — OIR 



95 



Je recevrai 
Tu recevras 
II recevra 
Elle recevra 
Nous recevrons 
Vous recevrez 
lis recevront 
Elles recevront 



Future {Simple tense) 

I shall receive 
Thou wilt receive 
He will receive 
She will receive 
We shall receive 
You will receive 
They will receive (mas) 
They will receive (fern) 



Future Anterior {Compound of the Future) 

J'aurai regu I shall have received 

Tu auras regit Thou wilt have received 

II aura regu He will have received 

Elle aura regit She will have received 

Nous aurons regu We shall have received 

Vous aurez regu You will have received 

lis auront regu They will have received (mas) 

Elles auront regu They will have received (fern) 

Conditional Mood — Present {Simple tense) 

Je recevrais I should receive 

Tu recevrais Thou wouldst receive 

II recevrait He would receive 

Elle recevrait She would receive 

Nous recevrions We would receive 

Vous recevriez You would receive 

lis recevraient They would receive ( mas) 

Elles recevraient They would receive (fern) 

Past Conditional {Compound of the Conditional) 



J'aurais regu 
Tu aurais regu 
II aurait regu 
Elle aurait regu 
Nous aurions regu 
Vous auriez regu 
lis auraient regu 
Elles auraient recu 



regois 

qu'il regoive 

qu'elle regoive 

recevons 

recevez 

qu'ils regoivent 

qu'elles regoivent 



I should have received 
Thou wouldst have received 
He would have received 
She would have received 
We should have received 
You would have received 
They would have received (m) 
They would have received (f) 
Imperative Mood 

receive (thou) 

let him receive 

let her receive 

let us receive 

receive (you) 

let them receive (mas) 

let them receive (fern) 



96 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



Subjunctive Mood — Present {Simple tense) 



Que je regoive 
Que tu regoives 
Qu'il regoive 
Qu'elle recoive 
Que nous recevions 
Que vous receviez 
Qu'ils regoivent 
Qu'elles regoivent 



That I may receive 
That thou mayst receive 
That he may receive 
That she may receive 
That we may receive 
That you may receive 
That they may receive (mas) 
That they may receive (fern) 



Past Subjunctive (Compound of the Present) 



Que j'aie regu 
Que tu aies regu 
Qu'il ait regu 
Qu'elle ait regu 
Que nous ayons regu 
Que vous ayez regu 
Qu'ils aient regu 
Qu'elles aient regu 



That I may have received 
That thou mayst have received 
That he may have received 
That she may have received 
That we may have received 
That you may have received 
That they may have received (m) 
That they may have received (f ) 



Imperfect Subjunctive (Simple tense) 



Que je regusse 
Que tu regusses 
Qu'il regut 
Qu'elle regut 
Que nous recussions 
Que vous regussiez 
Qu'ils regussent 
Qu'elles regussent 



That I might receive 
That thou mightst receive 
That he might receive 
That she might receive 
That we might receive 
That you might receive 
That they might receive (mas) 
That they might receive (fern) 



Pluperfect Subjunctive (Compound of the Imperfect) 



Que j'eusse regu 
Que tu eusses regu 
Qu'il eut regu 
Qu'elle eut regu 
Que nous eussions regu 
Que vous eussiez regu 
Qu'ils eussent regu 
Qu'elles eussent regu 



That I might have received 
That thou mightst have received 
That he might have received 
That she might have received 
That we might have received 
That you might have received 
That they might have received (m) 
That they might have received ( f ) 



FOURTH CONJUGATION — R£ 97 

FOURTH CONJUGATION IN RE 

(Quatrieme Conjugaison) 

Model verb — vendre (to sell). 

infinitive; mood 
Present — vendre (to sell) 
Past — avoir vendu (to have sold) 
. Present participle — vendant (selling) 
Past — ayant vendu (having sold) 
Past participle — vendu (sold) 

INDICATIVE MOOD 

Present — (simple tense) I sell, I am selling, I do sell. 

Je vends I sell 

Tu vends Thou sellest 

II vend He sells 

Elle vend She sells 

Nous vendons We sell 

Vous vendez You sell 

lis vendent They sell (mas) 

Elles vendent They sell (fern) 

Past Indefinite (Compound of the Present Indicative) 

J'ai vendu I have sold 

Tu as vendu Thou hast sold 

II a vendu He has sold 

Elle a vendu She has sold 

Nous avons vendu We have sold 

Vous avez vendu You have sold 

lis ont vendu They have sold (mas) 

Elles ont vendu They have sold (fern) 

Imperfect (Simple tense) 

I sold, I was selling, I did sell, I used to sell. 

Je vendais I sold 

Tu vendais Thou wast selling 

II vendait He sold 

Elle vendait She sold 

Nous vendions We sold 

Vous vendiez- You sold 

lis vendaient They sold (mas) 

Elles vendaient They sold (fern) 



98 



correct French — bing 



Pluperfect {Compound of the Imperfect) 



J'avais vendu 
Tu avais vendu 
II avait vendu 
EHe avait vendu 
Nous avions vendu 
Vous aviez vendu 
lis avaient vendu 
Elles avaient vendu 



I had sold 

Thou hadst sold 

He had sold 

She had sold 

We had sold 

You had sold 

They had sold (mas) 

They had sold (fern) 



Je vendis 
Tu vendis 
II vendit 
Elle vendit 
Nous vendimes 
Vous vendites 
lis vendirent 
Elles vendirent 



Past Definite (Simple tense) 

I sold 

Thou soldest 

He sold 

She sold 

We sold 

You sold 

They sold (mas) 

They sold (fern) 



Past Anterior {Compound of the Past Definite) 



J'eus vendu 
Tu eus vendu 
II eut vendu * 
Eile eut vendu 
Nous eumes vendu 
Vous eutes vendu 
lis eurent vendu 
Elles eurent vendu 



I had sold 
Thou hadst sold 
He had sold 
She had sold 
We had sold 
You had sold 
They had sold (mas) 
They had sold (fern) 



Future {Simple tense) 



Je vendrai 
Tu vendras 
II vendra 
Elle vendra 
Nous vendrons 
Vous vendrez 
lis vendront 
Elles vendront 



I shall sell 
Thou wilt sell 
He will sell 
She will sell 
We shall sell 
You will sell 
They will sell (mas) 
They will sell (fern) 



FOURTH CONJUGATION RE 



99 



Future Anterior {Compound of the Future) 



J'aurai vendu 
Tu auras vendu 
II aura vendu 
Elle aura vendu 
Nous aurons vendu 
Vous aurez venclu 
lis auront vendu 
Elles auront vendu 



I shall have sold 

Thou wilt have sold 

He will have sold 

She will have sold 

We shall have sold 

You will have sold 

They will have sold (mas) 

They will have sold (fern) 



Je vendrais 
Tu vendrais 
II vendrait 
Elle vendrait 
Nous vendrions 
Vous vendriez 
lis vendraient 
Elles vendraient 



CONDITIONAL MOOD 



Present {Simple tense) 



I should sell 

Thou wouldst sell 

He would sell 

She would sell 

We should sell 

You would sell 

They would sell (mas) 

They would sell (fern) 



Past Conditional {Compound of the Conditional) 



J'aurais vendu 
Tu aurais vendu 
II aurait vendu 
Elle aurait vendu 
Nous aurions vendu 
Vous auriez vendu 
lis auraient vendu 
Elles auraient vendu 



I should have sold 
Thou wouldst have sold 
He would have sold 
She would have sold 
We should have sold 
You would have sold 
They would have sold (mas) 
They would have sold (fern) 



IMPERATIVE MOOD 



vends 
qu'il vende 
qu'elle vende 
vendons 
vendez 

qu'ils vendent 
qu'elles vendent 



sell (thou) 

let him sell 

let her sell 

let us sell 

sell (you) 

let them sell (mas) 

let them sell (fern) 



100 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD 

Present {Simple tense) 



Que je vende 
Que tu vendes 
Qu'il vende 
Qu'elle vende 
Que nous vendions 
Que vous vendiez 
Qu'ils vendent 
Qu'elles vendent 



That I may sell 
That thou mayst sell 
That he may sell 
That she may sell 
That we may sell 
That you may sell 
That they may sell (mas) 
That they may sell (fern) 



Past Subjunctive {Compound of the Present) 



Que j'aie vendu 
Que tu aies vendu 
Qu'il ait vendu 
Qu'elle ait vendu 
Que nous ayons vendu 
Que vous ayez vendu 
Qu'ils aient vendu 
Ou'elles aient vendu 



That I may have sold 
That thou mayst have sold 
That he may have sold 
That she may have sold 
That we may have sold 
That you may have sold 
That they may have sold (m) 
That they may have sold (f) 



Imperfect Subjunctive {Simple tense) 



Que je vendisse 
Que tu vendisses 
Qu'il vendit 
Qu'elle vendit 
Que nous vendissions 
Que vous vendissiez 
Qu'ils vendissent 
Qu'elles vendissent 



That I might sell 
That thou mightst sell 
That he might sell 
That she might sell 
That we might sell 
That you might sell 
That they might sell (mas) 
That they might sell (fern) 



Pluperfect Subjunctive {Compound of the Imperfect) 



Que j'eusse vendu 
Que tu eusses vendu 
Qu'il eut vendu 
Qu'elle eut vendu 
Que nous eussions vendu 
Que vous eussiez vendu 
Qu'ils eussent vendu 
Ou'elles eussent vendu 



That I might have sold 
That thou mightst have sold 
That he might have sold 
That she might have sold 
That we might have sold 
That you might have sold 
That they might have sold (m) 
That they might have sold (f) 






IRREGULAR VERB ALLER 101 

IRREGULAR VERBE ALTER (TO GO) 
(Verbe Irrjgulier) 

INFINITIVE MOOD 

Present — aller (to go). 

Past — etre alle (to have gone). 

Present Participle — Allant (going). 

Compound — etant alle (having gone). 

Past Participle — alle (mas.) allee (fern.) (gone). 

INDICATIVE MOOD 

Present — I go. I am going. I do go. 

Je vais. Tu vas. II va. Elle va. Nous allons. Vous allez. 
lis vont. Elles vont. 

Past Indefinite (Compound of the Present) 

Je suis alle (or) allee I have gone 

Tu es alle (or) allee Thou hast gone 

II est alle He has gone 

Elle est allee She has gone 

Nous sommes alles (or) allees We have gone 

Vous etes alles (or) allees You have gone 

lis sont alles They have gone (mas) 

Elles sont allees They have gone (fern) 

Imperfect — I went. I was going. I did go. I used to go. 
J'allais. Tu allais. II allait. Elle allait. Nous allions. 
Vous alliez. lis allaient. Elles allaient. 

Pluperfect (Compound of the Imperfect) 

J'etais alle (or) allee I had gone 

Tu etais alle (or) allee Thou hadst gone 

II etait alle He had gone 

Elle etait allee She had gone 

Nous etions alles (or) allees We had gone 

Vous etiez alles (or) allees You had gone 

lis etaient alles They had gone (mas) 

Elles etaient allees They had gone (fern) 

Past Definite or Historical Tense — I went. 
J'allai. Tu alias. II alia. Elle alia. Nous allames. Vous 
allates. lis allerent. Elles allerent. 



102 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



Past Anterior or Compound of the Past Definite 



Je fus alle (or) allee 

Tu fus alle (or) allee 

II f ut alle 

Elle fut allee 

Nous fumes alles (or) allees 

Yous futes alles (or) allees 

lis furent alles 

Elles furent allees 



I had gone 

Thou hadst gone 

He had gone 

She had gone 

We had gone 

You had gone 

They had gone (mas) . 

They had gone (fern) 



Future Simple — I shall or will go. 
J'irai. Tu iras. II ira. Elle ira. 
lis iront. Ellest iront. 



Xous irons. Vous irez. 



Future Anterior (Compound of the Future) 



Je serai alle (or) allee 
Tu seras alle (or) allee 
II sera alle 
Elle sera allee 

Nous serons alles (or) allees 
Yous serez alles (or) allees 
lis seront alles 
Elles seront allees 



I shall have gone 
Thou wilt have gone 
He will have gone 
She will have gone 
We shall have gone 
You will have gone 
They will have gone (mas) 
They will have gone (fern) 



Conditional Present— 
J'arais. Tu irais. II 



I should or would go. 



Inez. 



irais. 11 irait. Elle irait. 
lis iraient. Elles iraient. 



Nous irions. Yous 



Conditional Past (Compound of the Conditional) 



Je serais alle (or) allee 
Tu serais alle (or) allee 
II serait alle 
Elle serait allee 
Nous serious alles (or) allees 
Yous seriez alles (or) allees 
lis seraient alles 
Elles seraient allees 



I should have gone 
Thou wouldst have gone 
He would have gone 
She would have gone 
We should have gone 
You would have gone 
They would have gone (mas) 
They would have gone (fern) 



IMPERATIVE MOOD 



va (go thou) 
qu'il aille (let him go) 
qu'elle aille (let her go) 
allons (let us go) 



allez (go you) 

qu'ils aillent (let them go) (m) 

qu'elles aillent (let them go) (f) 



IRREGULAR VERB — AIXER 103 

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD 

Present — That I may go. 

Que j 'aille. Que tu ailles. Qu'il aille. Qu'elle aille. Que 
nous allions. Que vous alliez. Qu'ils aillent. Qu'elles aillent. 

Past Subjunctive (Compound of the Present) 

Que je sois alle (or) allee That I may be gone 

Que tu sois alle (or) allee That thou mayst be gone 

Qu'il soit alle That he may be gone 

Qu'elle soit allee That she may be gone 

Que nous soyons alles (or) allees That we may be gone 
Que vous soyez alles (or) allees That you may be gone 
Qu'ils soient alles That they may be gone (mas) 

Qu'elles soient allees That they may be gone (fern) 

Imperfect — That I might go. 

Que j'allasse. Que tu allasses. Qu'il allat. Qu'elle allat. 
Que nous allassions. Que vous allassiez. Qu'ils allassent. 
Qu'elles allassent. 

Pluperfect (Compound of the Imperfect) 

Que je fusse alle (or) allee That I might have gone 

Que tu fusses alle (or) allee That thou mightst have gone 

Qu'il f ut alle That he might have gone 

Qu'elle fut allee That she might have gone 

Que nous fussions alles (or) That we might have gone 

allees) 

Que vous fussiez alles (or) That you might have gone 

allees 

Qu'ils fussent alles That they might have gone (m) 

Qu'elles fussent allees That they might have gone (f) 

RULE 

When a verb is conjugated in its compound tenses with the 
use of the auxiliary verb etre (to be), the past participle, which 
accompanies every person, agrees in gender and number with 
the pronoun subject. That is, if the subject is feminine sin- 
gular an e is added to the past participle. If the subject is 
masculine plural, an ^ is added to the past participle. If the 
subject is feminine plural, es is added to the past participle. 



104 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



s'en aller (to go away) is conjugated like aller. This re- 
flective verb is declined with three pronouns, as follows : 



Simple Tense 

Je m'en vais 

Tu t'en vas 

II s'en va 

Elle s'en va 

Nous nous en allons 

Vous vous en allez 

lis s'en vont 
Elles s'en vont 



Va-t'en 
Qu'il s'en aille 
Qu'elle s'en aille 
Allons-nous en 
Allez-vous en 
Qu'ils s'en aillent 
Ou'elles s'en aillent 



Compound Tense 

Je m'en suis alle (or) allee 

Tu t'en es alle (or) allee 

II s'en est alle 

Elle s'en est allee 

Nous nous en sommes alles 

(or) allees 
Vous vous en etes alles (or) 

allees 
lis s'en sont alles 
Elles s'en sont allees 



IMPERATIVE 



Go away (thou) 

Let him go away 

Let her go away 

Let us be gone 

Go away, be gone (you) 

Let them -go away (mas) 

Let them go away (fern) 



IRREGULAR VERB ENVOYER (TO SEND) 

INFINITIVE MOOD 

Present — envoyer (to send). 
Past — avoir envoye (to have sent). 
Present Participle — envoyant (sending). 
Compound — ayant envoye (having sent). 
Past Participle — envoye (sent). 

INDICATIVE MOOD 

Present — I send. I am sending. I do send. 
J'envoie. Tu envoies. II envoie. Elle envoie. Nous en- 
voyons. Vous envoyez. lis envoient. Elles envoient. 

Past Indefinite (Compound of the Present) 
I have sent, etc. 
J'ai envoye Nous avons envoye 

Tu as envoye Vous avez envoye 

II a envoye lis ont envoye 



Elle a envoye 



Elles ont envoye 



IRREGULAR VERB— ENVOYER 



105 



I did send. I was sending. I used to 
II envoyait. Elle envoyait. Nous 

Tic; pnvnvaipnt V.11pq pnvfivaipnl- 



Imperfect — I sent, 
send. 

J'envoyais. Tu envoyais. II envoyait. Elle envoyait. Nous 
envoyions. Vous envoyiez. lis envoyaient. Elles envoyaient, 



Pluperfect (Compound of the Imperfect) 



J'avais envoye 
Tu avais envoye 
II avait envoye 
Elle avait envoye 
Nous avions envoye 
Vous aviez envoye 
lis avaient envoye 
Elles avaient envoye 



I had sent 
Thou hadst sent 
He had sent 
She had sent 
We had sent 
You had sent 
They had sent (mas) 
They had sent (fern) 



Past Indefinite, or Historical tense — I sent. 

J'envoyai. Tu envoyas. II envoya. Elle envoya. Nous 
envoyames. Vous envoyates. lis envoyerent. Elles envoye- 
rent. 

Past Anterior, or Compound of the Past Definite 



J'eus envoye 
Tu eus envoye 
II eut envoye 
Elle eut envoye 
Nous eumes envoye 
Vous eutes envoye 
lis eurent envoye 
Elles eurent envoye 



I had sent 

Thou hadst sent 

He had sent 

She had ent 

We had sent 

You had sent 

They had sent (mas) 

They had sent (fern) 



Future Simple — I shall (or) will send. 

J'enverrai. Tu enverras. II enverra. Elle enverra. Nous 
enverrons. Vous enverrez. lis enverront. Elles enverront. 

Future Anterior (Compound of the future) 






J'aurai envoye 
Tu auras envoye 
II aura envoye 
Elle aura envoye 
Nous aurons envoye 
Vous aurez envoye 
lis auront envoye 
Elles auront envoye 



I shall have sent 
Thou wilt have sent 
He will have sent 
She will have sent 
We shall have sent 
You will have sent 
They will have sent (mas) 
They will have sent (fern) 



106 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

Conditional Present — I should (or) would send. 

J'enverrais. Tu enverrais. II enverrait. Elle enverraic. 
Nous enverrions. Vous enverriez. lis enverraient. EHes 
enverraient. 

Conditional Past (Compound of the Conditional) 

J'aurais envoye I should have sent 

Tu aurais envoye Thou wouldst have sent 

II aurait envoye He would have sent 

Elle aurait envoye She would have sent 

Nous aurions envoye We should have sent 

Vous auriez envoye You would have sent 

lis auraient envoye They would have sent (mas) 

EHes auraient envoye They would have sent (fern) 



IMPERATIVE MOOD 

Envoie Send (thou) 

Qu'il envoie Let him send 

Qu'elle envoie Let her send 

Envoyons Let us send 

Envoyez Send (you) 

Qu'ils envoient Let them send (mas) 

Qu'elles envoient Let them send (fern) 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD 

Present — That I may send. 

Que j 'envoie. Que tu envoies. Qu'il envoie. Qu'elle envoie. 
Que nous envoyions. Que vous envoyiez. Qu'ils envoient. 
Qu'elles envoient. 



Past Subjunctive (Compound of the Present) 

Que j'aie envoye That I may have sent 

Que tu aies envoye That thou mayst have sent 

Qu'il ait envoye That he may have sent 

Qu'elle ait envoye That she may have sent 

Que nous ayons envoye That we may have sent 

Que vous ayez envoye That you may have sent 

Qu'ils aient envoye That they may have sent (m) 

Qu'elles aient envoye That they may have sent (f) 



use: 01? auxiliaries 107 

Imperfect — That I might send. 

Que j'envoyasse. Que tu envoyasses. Qu'il envoyat. Qu'elle 
envoyat. Que nous envoyassions. Que vous envoyassiez. 
Qu'ils envoyassent. Qu'elles envoyassent. 

Pluperfect (Compound of the Imperfect) 

Que j'eusse envoye That I might have sent 

Que tu eusses envoye That thou mightst have sent 

Qu'il eut envoye That he might have sent 

Qu'elle eut envoye That she might have sent 

Que nous eussions envoye That we might have sent 

Que vous eussiez envoye That you might have sent 

Qu'ils eussent envoye That they might have sent (m) 

Qu'elles eussent envoye That they might have sent (f) 

Envoy er (to send) is irregular only in two tenses : the future 
and the conditional. Renvoyer (to send back, to return, to 
dismiss) is conjugated like envoyer. 



On the Use of Avoir (to have) and etre (to be) as Auxiliaries. 

Avoir (to have) is auxiliary: 

1. For its own compound tenses 

J'ai eu (I have had) 

2. For the compound tenses of etre (to be) 

J'ai ete (I have been) 

3. For the compound tenses of all the active verbs 

J'ai mange (I have eaten) 

4. For the compound tenses of some neuter verbs, while a 
few are conjugated with etre. 

Etre (to be) is auxiliary: 

1. For all passive verbs 

Je suis aime (I am loved) 

2. For the compound tenses of all reflective verbs : 

II s'est habille (He has dressed himself) 



Irregularites D'orthographe (Orthographic Irregularities) 

1. In verbs ending in cer the c takes a cedilla before a, or o, 

in order to preserve the soft sound which it has in the In- 
finitive, as : 

placer (to place) effacer (to efface) 

plagant (placing) effacant (effacing) 

Nous plagons (we place) nous effacons (we efface) 

Je plagais (I placed) J'effagais (I effaced) 



108 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

2. Verbs ending in ger retain e before a or o, that the soft 
sound of g, in the infinitive may be preserved, as : 

manger (to eat) juger (to judge) 

mangeant (eating) jugeant (judging) 

nous mangeons (we eat) nous jugeons (we judge) 

Je mangeais (I was eating) Je jugeais (I judged) 

3. Verbs ending in eler or eter double / or t, whenever the 
termination begins with e mute, as : 

appeler (to call) jeter (to throw) 

J'appelle (I call) Je jette (I throw) 

J'appellerai (I shall call) Je jetterai (I shall throw) 

Except the following which, in cases like the above, take a 
grave accent over the e preceding the 1 or t ; as : 
acheter (to buy) geler (to freeze) 

J'achete (I buy) Je gele (I freeze) 

J'acheterai (I shall buy) Je gelerai (I shall freeze) 

4. Verbs which have an e mute or an e with the acute ac- 
cent in the infinitive take a grave accent on that e, if it is fol- 
lowed by a consonant and an e mute as : 

esperer (to hope) mener (to lead) 

J'espere (I hope) Je mene (I lead) 

J'espererai (I shall hope) Je menerai (I shall lead) 

However the acute accent remains unaltered throughout the 
verbs in eger, as : 

assieger (to besiege) II protege (He protects) 

J'assiege (I besiege) Elle protegera (she will pro- 

II assiegera (He shall besiege) tect) 

proteger (to protect) 

5. Verbs ending in ayer, oyer, uyer change y into i before 
e mute as: 

payer (to pay) effrayer (to frighten) 

Je paie (I pay) J'efTraie (I frighten) 

Je paierai (I shall pay) J'effraierai (I shall frighten) 

6. Verbs ending in ner and oxter require a diceresis on the 
i of the first and second persons plural of the imperfect indica- 
tive and present subjunctive, as : 

distribuer (to distribute) jouer (to play) 

Nous distribuions (we dis- Nous jou'ions (we played) 
tributed) Vous jouiez (you played) 

Vous distribuiez (you dis- 
tributed) 



FORMATION OF TENSES 109 

7. Verbs whose present participle ends in iant do not drop 
i in the first and second person plural of the imperfect indicative 
and present of the subjunctive, as : 
oublier (to forget) prier (to pray) 

oubliant (forgetting) priant (praying) 

nous oubliions (we forgot) nous priions (we prayed) 
vous oubliiez (you forgot) vous priiez (you prayed) 
• Also all verbs whose present participles ends in yant, as : 
payer (to pay) s'asseoir (to sit down) 

payant (paying) s'asseyant (sitting down) 

que nous payions (that we que nous nous asseyions (that 

may pay) we may sit down) 

que vous payiez (that you que vous vous aseyiez (that you 

may pay) may sit down) 

retain the y of the root before the i of the endings ions and iez. 



FORMATION OF THE TENSES 
(Formation des Temps) 

PRIMITIVE TENSES . DERIVATIVE) TENSES 

Present of the infinitive 1. Future indicative 

2. Present conditional 
Participle present 1. The plural of the present indic- 

ative 

2. The imperfect of the indicative 

3. The present of the subjunctive 
Past Participle All the compound tenses 
Present of the indicative The imperative 

Past definite The imperfect of the subjunctive 

rules of Formation 
1. From the present of the infinitive are formed: . 
The future, by adding ai. 

The present of the conditional, by adding ais. (oi is cut off 
in the third conjugation) (e is dropped in the fourth). 

First Conjugation — chanter (to sing) 
Je chanter-ai (I shall sing) Je chanter-ais (I should sing) 

Second conjugation — finir (to finish) 
Je fmir-ai (I shall finish) Je finir-ais (I should finish) 

Third conjugation — recevoir (to receive) 
Je recev(oi)rai (I shall re- Je recev(oi)rais (I should re- 
ceive) ceive) 

Fourth conjugation — vendre (to sell) 
Je vendr(e)ai (I shall sell) Je vendr(e)ais (I should sell) 



110 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

2. From the participle present are formed : 

( 1 ) The plural of the present indicative, by changing ant into 
ons, ez, ent. (oi is kept instead of e in the third person of the 
third conjugation.) 

1. Chant-ant (singing) — nous chant-ons, vous chant-ez, ils 
chant-ent. 

2. Finiss-ant (finishing) — nous finiss-ons, vous finiss-ez, ils 
finiss-ent. 

3. recev-ant (receiving) — nous recev-ons, vous recev-ez, ils 
reg-oi-vent. 

4. vend-ant (selling) — nous vend-ons, vous vend-ez, ils 
vend-ent. 

(2) The imperfect of the indicative, by changing ant into 
ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient. 

1. chant-ant — Je chant-ais, tu chant-ais, il chant-ait, nous 
chant-ions, vous chant-iez, ils chant-aient. 

2. finiss-ant — Je finiss-ais, tu finiss-ais, il finiss-ait, nous 
finiss-ions, vous finiss-iez, ils finiss-aient. 

3. recev-ant — Je recev-ais, tu recev-ais, il recev-ait, nous 
recev-ions, vous recev-iez, ils recev-aient. 

4. vend-ant — Je vend-ais, tu vend-ais, il vend-ait, nous 
vend-ions, vous vend-iez, ils vend-aient. 

(3) The present of the subjunctive, by changing ant into 
e, es, e, ions, iez, ent, (oi is still kept instead of e in the three 
persons singular, and the third person only of the plural). 

1. chant-ant — que je chant-e, que tu chant-es, qu'il chant-e, 
que nous chant-ions, que vous chant-iez, qu'ils chant-ent. 

2. finiss-ant — que je finiss-e, que tu finiss-es, qu'il finiss-e, 
que nous finiss-ions, que vous finiss-iez, qu'ils finiss-ent. 

3. recev-ant — que je rec-oi-ve, que tu rec-oi-ves, qu'il reg- 
oi-ve, que nous recev-ions, que vous recev-iez, qu'ils reg-oi-vent. 

4. vend-ant — que je vend-e, que tu vend-es, qu'il vend-e, 
que nous vend-ions, que vous vend-iez, qu'ils vend-ent. 

From the past participle used with avoir, or etre, are formed 
all the compound tenses; and from the present indicative are 
formed all the corresponding persons of the imperative, by 
omitting the personal pronouns used as subjects to the verb. 
(The s of the second person singular of the first conjugation is 
suppressed and the third persons (singular and plural) are like 
those of the present subjunctive). 



PARTICIPLES 111 

(4) From the second person singular of the past definite is 
formed the imperfect subjunctive, by adding se, ses, sions, siez, 
sent. ( For the third person singular, change s into t, and place 
a circumflex accent upon the preceding vowel.) 

1. Tu chantas — que je chantas-se, que tu chantas-ses, qu'il 
chanta-t, que nous chantas-sions, que vous chantas-siez, qu'ils 
chantas-sent. 

2. Tu finis — que je finis-se, que tu finis-es, qu'il fini-t, que 
nous finis-sions, que vous finis-siez, qu'ils finis-sent. 

3. Tu recus — que je recus-se, que tu recus-ses, qu'il regu-t, 
que nous regus-sions, que vous recus-siez, qu'ils recus-sent. 

4. Tu vendis — que je vendis-se, que tu vendis-ses, qu'il 
vendi-t, que nous vendis-sions, que vous vendis-siez, qu'ils 
vendis-sent. 

he Participe Present {The Present Participle) 

The present participle is invariable. It always ends in ant, 
while it ends in ing in English, as : 

parlant (speaking), finissant (finishing). 

It is regularly conjugated throughout with only two excep- 
tions : 

ayant (having) present participle of avoir (to have). 

sachant (knowing) present participle of savoir (to know). 

Sometimes the present participle is used as an adjective 
(adjectif verbal), in which case it agrees in gender and num- 
ber with the noun to which it relates, as : 

Une troupe chantante est arrivee. (A singing troop has ar- 
rived). 

Trouvez-vous ces livres amusants ? (Do you find those books 
amusing?) 

Note; — All verbs of the second conjugation (ending in ir) 
whose present participle ends in issant are regular, that is, can 
be conjugated like the' model verb finir (to finish). 

Participe Passe {Past Participle) 

general rule 

When the past participle is used without avoir, or etre, it 
is considered as an adjective, and therefore agrees in gender 
and number with the noun or pronoun to which it relates, as : 
Ma soeur parait offensee. (My sister appears offended.) 
Respectez les lois etablies. (Respect the established laws.) 



112 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

When the past participle is preceded by its object, it agrees 
with it in gender and number, but it remains invariable when 
the object follows, as: 

Avez-vous eu mes livres? Have you had my books? 

Je ne les ai pas eus I have not had them 

Ai-je eu mes robes? Have I had my dresses? 

Vous les avez eues You have had them 

J'ai brode des bretelles I have embroidered some sus- 

penders 
Les bretelles que j'ai brodees The suspenders that I have em- 
broidered 

The past participle does not agree : 

1. When it belongs to a neuter verb, conjugated with 
avoir, as: 

Les voyageurs ont bien dormi. (The travellers have slept 
well.) 

Les dames ont peri. (The ladies have perished.) 

2. When either the subject or the object (if the object fol- 
lows) the participle belongs to a neuter verb, as : 

Mes freres ont regu plusieurs cadeaux. (My brothers have 
received several presents.) 

Qui a dessine ces jolies fleurs? (Who has drawn those pretty 
flowers?) 

3. When it belongs to a reflective verb not being preceded 
by its direct object, as: 

La jument s'est casse la jambe. (The mare has broken her 

leg.) 

Marie s'est dechire la robe. (Mary has torn her dress.) 

4. When it belongs to unipersonal verbs, whether used 
with avoir, or etre, as : 

II est arrive deux accidents terribles sur le chemin de fer. 
(Two dreadful accidents have occurred on the railroad.) 

Quelle pluie il est tombe ce matin. (What a rain fell this 
morning.) 

5. When it is preceded by the relative pronoun en (some, 
any of it, of them), as: 

Avez-vous eu des pommes? (Have you had any apples?) 

Je n'en ai pas eu. (I have not had any.) 
or by the connective pronoun dont (of whom, of which, 
whose), as: 

Connaissez-vous les enfants dont je vous ai parle? (Do you 
know the children of whom I spoke to you?) 



MISCELLANEOUS 113 

OBSERVATION 

Amener, (to bring) must, in French, not be mistaken for 
apporter (to bring). Amener is used when the object is able 
to walk, to direct itself, like an automobile, a wheelbarrow, 
etc. ; while apporter is used for things that necessitate carry- 
ing, hauling, etc. 

EXAMPLES 

II a amene ici mille soldats et cinq cents chevaux. (He has 
brought here one thousand soldiers and five hundred horses.) ( 

Le palefrenier a apporte de la paille et de l'avoine pour les 
chevaux. (The groom has brought straw and oats for the 
horses.) 

Savoir (to know by knowledge) 

Connaitre (to know by acquaintance) 

EXAMPLES 

Cet enfant sait sa legon. (That child knows his lesson.) 

Ma cousine connait cette dame. (My cousin knows that 
lady.) 

Nouveau (nouvel before a vowel or h mute) is used for 
things which are new from nature or invention, as : 

Du vin nouveau (new wine) 

un nouveau commis (a new clerk) 

un nouvel ami (a new friend) 

un livre nouveau (a book just published) 

Neuf, on the contrary, is used of things made by men, as : 

un habit neuf (a new coat) 

un livre neuf (a new book, which has been printed long ago, 
but has not been used.) 

Thus we may say, Ce livre neuf est-il nouveau? (Is this 

new book a new publication?) 

Neuf figuratively, means inexperienced, as : 

Ce valet est bien neuf. (This valet is very inexperienced.) 

Davantage (more) has the same signification as plus (more), 

with the difference that it cannot precede a noun, as : 

Avez-vous plus de chevaux que votre frere? (Have you 

more horses than your brother?) 

Non, monsieur, je n'en ai pas davantage. (No, sir; I have 

not any more.) 



114 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



IDIOMATICAL EXPRESSIONS 

Idiomatical Expressions With Avoir. 

Avoir mal is used in French to express that a part of the 
body is affected with illness or pain. 



EXAMPLES 

Avez-vous mal aux dents? (Have you the toothache?) 
Non, j'ai mal a la tete (No, I have the headache.) 
II a mal>aux pieds (His feet are sore.) 

Avoir (to have) is used in French where etre (to be) is used 
in English in the following : The French say, "I have hunger." 
The English say, "I am hungry." 

Avoir faim 
Avoir soif 
Avoir peur 
Avoir honte 
Avoir raison 
Avoir tort 
Avoir froid 
Avoir chaud 
Avoir sommeil 



To be hungry 
To be thirsty 
To be afraid 
To be ashamed 
To be right 
To be wrong 
To be cold 
To be warm 
To be sleepy 



Idiomatic Use of Faire (to make) 

Quel temps fait-il? (How is the weather?) 

II fait beau temps aujourd 'hui. (The weather is fine today.) 



II fait du vent 

II fait de l'orage 

II fait chaud 

II fait froid 

II fait du" soleil 

II fait le clair de lune 

II fait obscure 

II fait sec 

II fait du brouillard 

II fait du tonnerre 

II fait humide 

II fait tres-sale" 

II fait de la pluie 

II fait de la neige 

II fait de la poussiere 

II fait de la fumee 



It is windy 

It is stormy 

It is warm 

It is cold 

It is sunshine 

It is moonlight 

It is dark 

It is dry 

It is foggy 

It is a thunderstorm 

It is damp 

It is very muddy 

It is raining 

It is snowing 

It is dusty 

It is smoky 



T£N PARTS OF SPEECH 



115 



A Blow, a Knock, a Kick, a Stab, a Clap, a Slap — Un Coup 



un coup de baton 


a blow with a stick 


un coup de pied # 
un coup de poing 
un coup de couteau 


a kick with the foot 
a blow with the fist 
a stab with a knife 


un coup de fusil 
un coup de pistolet 
un coup d'oeil 
un coup de tonnerre 


a shot with a gun 
a shot with a pistol 
a glance of the eye 
a clap of thunder 


Bruler la cervelle a quelqu'un. (To blow out one's brains.) 
11 s'est briile la cervelle. (He has blown out his brains.) 



THE TEN PARTS OF SPEECH 

There are in French ten parts of speech, six variable, that is, 
they are liable to change their termination, according to cir- 
cumstances; and four invariable, that is, never admitting of 
any change in their termination. 

The six variable parts of speech are: 

1. 1' article 1. the article 

2. le substantif 2. the substantive 

3. l'adjectif 3. the adjective 

4. le pronom 4. the pronoun 

5. le verbe 5. the verb 

6. le participe 6. the participle 

The four invariable parts of speech are : 

1. r adverbe 1. the adverb 

2. la preposition 2. the preposition 

3. la conjonction 3. the conjunction 

4. 1' interjection 4. the interjection 



116 correct French — bing 

GENERAL RULE 

(Regie Generate) 

The final e mute geaerally indicates the feminine gender, a 
final consonant indicates the masculine. 

FEMININE 

1. All words in Latin. 

2. All terms seeming to constitute a feminine appellation, 
and all proper names of women. 

3. All names of female animals. 

4. Diminutive of the female sex. 

5. Names of months used with mi (half) before them as 
la mi-Mai (middle of may). 

6. Names of virtues, except: le courage (courage) le merite 
(merit) le genie (genius). 

7. All names of states, empires, kingdoms, and provinces, 
are of the gender indicated by their terminations, that is, 
feminine if ending in e mute or e with the acute accent, mascu- 
line if ending with a consonant. 

Except those having the masculine article le before them as 
le Bengale, le Mexique etc. 



MASCULINE 

1. God, His angels, cherubim and seraphim. 

2. All names of male animals, when these are distinguished 
from the female by a different denomination. 

3. All diminutive of animals. 

4. All names of days, months and seasons. 

5. Nouns of numbers. 

6. Nouns belonging to the decimal calculation. 

7. Names of metals. 

8. Names of salts and minerals. 

9. Names of colors. 

10. Names of trees and shrubs (with a few exceptions). 

11. All nouns masculine and neuter in Latin. 

12. All terms seeming to constitute a masculine appellation 
and all proper names of men. 

13. Names of mountains (except those chains which have 
no singular as, les Alpes, les Pyrenees). 

14. Names of towns (except those which necessarily take 
the article la before them as : la Eerte, la Rochelle, etc. 



definite; article 117 

OBSERVATION 

The masculine is always given the preference to the feminine. 

If, in a sentence, several ladies are mentioned and there 
happens to be only one gentleman, all the qualifying adjectives 
must be of the masculine gender and, of course, plural. 

Example 

Ce monsieur a cinq enfants, quatre filles et un fils. lis sont 
tous grands, beaux et bons. (This gentleman has five children, 
four daughters and one son. They are all tall, handsome and 
good.) 

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE 

(U Article Defini) 

In French there is no neuter gender. Every noun, although 
representing inanimate objects, is either masculine or feminine. 
Naturally, every male is masculine and every female is fem- 
inine. 

The definite article, the, is expressed : 

1. By le (masculine singular) before a noun beginning 
with a consonant or h aspirate, as : 

le pere the father 

le livre the book 

le hameau the hamlet 

2. By la (fern, sing.) which follows the same rule as le. 
la mere the mother 

la table the table 

la haine the hatred 

The e of le and the a of la are elided before a word beginning 
with a vowel or a silent h and an apostrophe marks the elision, 
thus le and la become V . 

EXAMPLE 

l'ami (the friend) instead of le ami 
l'oiseau (the bird) instead of le oiseau 
l'hiver (the winter) instead of le hiver 
l'amie (the lady friend) instead of la amie 
l'ardoise (the slate) instead of la ardoise 
l'histoire (the history) instead of la histoire 
Les (the) plural for le, V la } V never elides. 

les amis the friends 

les oiseaux the birds 

les hivers the winters 

les amies the friends 

les ardoises the slates 

les histoires the histories 



118 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

Express to the, or at the: 

1. By au (contraction of a le) before a masculine singular 
noun beginning with a consonant or h aspirate, as : 

Ce cheval appartient au general (This horse belongs to the 
general). 

Le marche se tient au hameau tous les Mardis. (The market 
takes place at the hamlet every Tuesday). 

2. By a la before a feminine singular noun beginning with 
a consonant or h aspirate, as : 

La route du chateau a la ville. (The road from the castle to 
the city.) 

Xe touchez pas a la hache du menuisier. (Do not touch the 
carpenter's axe.) 

3. By a V before a noun of either gender beginning with a 
vowel or silent h, as : 

Cette vieille dame va souvent a Feglise. (This old lady goes 
often to church.) 

Ce petit garcon va regulierement a 1'ecole. (This little boy 
"goes regularly to school.) 

La parole a ete donnee a l'homme pour exprimer sa pensee. 
(Speech was given to man to express his thoughts.) 

4. By aux (contraction of a les) before any plural noun, 
whatever may be its gender or spelling, as : 

Les commandements de Dieu aux hommes. (The command- 
ments of God to men.) 

Les conseils des peres aux filles. (The advices of the fathers 
to the daughters.) 

THE PARTITIVE ARTICLE 
(U Article Partitif) 

The partitive article, some or any, of the or from the, is ex- 
pressed : 

1. By du (contraction of de le) before a masculine singu- 
lar noun beginning with a consonant or h aspirate, as : 

du pain some bread 

du vin some wine 

du hachis some hash 

2. By do la before a feminine singular noun beginning with 
a consonant or h aspirate, as : 

de la viande some meat 

de la biere some beer 

de la hure boars head 



ADJECTIVES 119 

3. By de V before singular nouns of either gender beginning 
with a vowel or silent h. 

de Teau some water 

de l'herbe some grass 

de 1'etoffe some stuff 

de l'huile some oil 

4. By des (contraction of de les) before any plural noun, 
whatever may be its gender or spelling, as : 

des hommes men 

des enfants children 

des ecoles schools 

des huttes huts 

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE 
(U Article Indefini) 

Express a, an, or one by un for the masculine singular and 
une for the feminine singular. 

EXAMPLE 

Voila un chapeau sur une chaise. (There is a hat on a 
chair.) 



ADJECTIVES 

The plural of adjectives is generally formed in the same 
way as nouns, by adding s to the singular. 

The feminine of adjectives not ending in e mute, is generally 
formed by adding an e to the masculine termination, as : 
le frere est grand the brother is tall 

la sceur est grande the sister is tall 

le fils est petit the son is short 

la fllle est petite the daughter is short 

Remark — Adjectives which end in er require a grave accent 
in the feminine 

le premier roi the first king 

la premiere reine the first queen 

Adjectives which end in gu take a diaeresis over the final e 
of the feminine as : 

un mot ambigu an ambiguous word 

une phrase ambigue an ambiguous sentence 

Adjectives ending in e mute do not vary, as : 
un monsieur aimable an amiable gentleman 

une dame aimable an amiable lady 

un jeune prince a young prince 

une jeune princesse a young princess 



120 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

Adjectives ending in x, change x into se, as: 
homme jaloux jealous man 

femme jalouse jealous woman 

heureux oncle happy uncle 

heureuse tante happy aunt 

Remark — -The five following are excepted and most of them 
are very irregular: 

doux (mild) feminine — douce 

faux (false) feminine — fausse 

prefix (appointed) feminine — prefixe 

roux (red) feminine — rousse 

vieux (old) feminine — vieille 

Adjectives ending in f, change f into ve, as: 
un cheval vif a quick horse 

une jument vive a quick mare 

un chapeau neuf a new hat 

une robe neuve a new dress 

Note — bref (short) and brief (pronounced bree-ef) (brief) 
require a grave accent in the feminine breve, brieve. 

Adjectives ending in el, eil, il, ul, en, on, ot, or et, generally 
double the final consonant and take e mute, as : 

cruel (cruel) feminine — cruelle 

pareil (alike) feminine — pareille 

gentil (pretty) feminine— gentille 

nul (not any) feminine — nulle 

ancien (ancient) feminine^ancienne 

Parisien (Parisian) feminine — Parisienne 

bon (good) feminine — bonne 

sot (silly) feminine — sotte 

muet (dumb) feminine — muette ' 

The seven following are excepted, and follow the general 
rule: 

complet (complete) feminine — complete 

concret (concrete) feminine — -concrete 

discret (discrete) feminine — discrete 

inquiet (anxious) feminine — inquiete 

replet (stout) feminine — replete 

vil (vile) feminine — vile 

devot (devout) feminine — devote 

Adjectives ending in et, and not doubling the t for the 
feminine, take a grave accent. 



ADJECTIVES 



121 



Adjectives ending in eur, change eur in euse, when ant, put 
instead of eur forms a present participle, 
trompeur (deceitful) feminine — trompeuse 

flatteur — (flattering) feminine — flatteuse 

Present participle — trompant (deceiving). 
Present participle — flattant (flattering). 
Five adjectives have two forms for the masculine, and one 
for the feminine. 



Masculine before a 


Masculine before a con 


Single form of 


vowel or silent h. 


sonant or h aspirate 


feminine 


bel (beautiful) 


beau 




belle 


fol (foolish) 


fou 




folle 


mol (soft) 


mou 




molle 


nouvel (new) 


nouveau 


nouvelle 


vieil (old) 


vieux 




vieille 


The following are 


the most 


irregular in their feminine. 


absous (absolved) 




feminine— 


-absoute 


benin (benign) 




feminine- 


-benigne 


blanc (white) 




feminine- 


-blanche 


franc (loyal) 




feminine- 


-franche 


caduc (decrepit) 




feminine- 


-caduque 


coi (still) 




feminine- 


-coite 


dissous (dissolved) 




feminine- 


-dissoute 


epais (thick) 




feminine- 


-epaisse 


expres (positive) 




feminine- 


-expresse 


favori (favorite) 




feminine- 


-favorite . 


frais (fresh) 




feminine- 


-fraiche 


Grec (Greek) 




feminine- 


-grecque 


gras (fat) 




feminine- 


-grasse 


jumeau (twin) 




feminine- 


-jumelle 


long (long) # 




feminine- 


-longue 


malin (malicious) 




feminine- 


-maligne 


mat (dead in color) 




feminine- 


-matte 


profes (of friars and nuns) 


feminine- 


-professe 


public (public) 




feminine- 


-publique 


sec (dry) 




feminine- 


-seche 


tiers (third) 




feminine- 


-tierce 


traitre (traitor) 




feminine- 


-traitresse 


Turc (Turkish) 




feminine- 


-turque 


gros (big) 




feminine- 


-grosse 


las (tired) 




feminine- 


-lasse 


bas (low) 




feminine- 


-basse 



122 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

The following five adjectives are invariable: 
aquilin (aquiline) grognon (grumbling) 

chatain (nut brown) imposteur (deceitful) 

dispos (active) 

Adjectifs Demonstratifs (Demonstrative Adjectives) 

The demonstrative adjectives are: 

ce (this or that) before a masculine singular word beginning 
with a consonant or h aspirate. 

cet before a masculine singular word beginning with a vowel 
or silent h. 

cette (this or that) before any feminine singular word. 

ces (these or those) before any word in the plural. 

Demonstrative adjectives agree in gender and number with 
the noun they point out and are repeated if there are several 
nouns in the sentence, as : 

Ces gants, ce chapeau, cette casquette et cet habit sont a moi. 
(Those gloves, hat, cap and coat are mine.) 

The adverbs ci (here) (abridged from ici (here)) and la 
(there) are often added with a hyphen to the nouns preceded by 
ce, cet, cette, or ces, to point out their places more distinctly, 
as: 

Prenez ce livre-ci et cette plume-la. (Take this book and 
that pen.) 

Adjectifs possessifs (Possessive Adjectives) 



Masc. 


Sing. 


Fern. 


Sing. 


Plural for all 


mon 




ma 




mes (my) 


ton 




ta 




tes (thy) 


son 




sa 




ses (his, her, its or one's) 


notre 




notre 




nos (our) 


votre 




votre 




vos (your) 


leur 




leur 




leurs (their) 



French possessive adjectives agree in gender and number 
with the object possessed, and not with the possessor, as in 
English, as : 

Mon frere aime beaucoup sa belle-mere. (My brother likes 
very much his mother-in-law.) 

Ma tante Lucie est tres-fiere de son fils Jacques. (My aunt 
Lucy is very proud of her son James.) 

Jean a vendu sa vache et son cheval. (John has sold his cow 
and his horse.) 






adjectives 123 

mon pere (my father), ma mere (my mother), mes enfants 
(my children), son fils (his or her son), sa fille (his or her 
daughter), ses amis (his or her friends). 

Possessive adjectives must be repeated before each noun 
to which an idea of possession is attached, as : 

Ton frere ta sceur et tes enfants sont ici. (Thy brother, sister 
and children are here.) 

ma, ta, sa, are changed into the masculine, mon, ton, son, 
before feminine words beginning with a vowel or silent h, for 
the sake of euphony, as : 

mon aimable niece my amiable niece 

son excellente tante his or her excellent aunt 

REMARK 

It is a French custom to use, as a mark of respect, one of the 
following qualifications : 

Monsieur, Messieurs, Madame, Mesdames, Mademoiselle, 
Monseigneur, before the possessive adjective, in addressing a 
person, or inquiring about others' relations ; but it would be ' 
ridiculous to use them when one speaks of his own relations. 

Comment se porte Monsieur votre pere? (How is your 
father?) 

Ou est madame votre mere? (Where is your mother?) 

Voici Mesdemoiselles vos sceurs. (Here are your sisters.) 

When speaking of a departed person the word feu >(fire) is 
used when in English they use late or lamented, as : 
Feu la reine The late queen 

Feu le President The late President 

The adjective feu agrees with the noun if it follows imme- 
diately, but remains invariable if there is a word interven- 
ing, as : 

feu votre mere your late mother 

votre feue mere your late mother 

The adjectives demi (half) and nu (bare) are invariable 

when they precede the noun, but they agree when they fol- 
low it, as : 

une demi livre a half a pound 

une livre et demie one pound and a half 

nu pieds bare footed 

pieds nus bare footed 



124 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



Adjcctifs Indefinis {Indefinite Adjectives) 



aucun-pas tin 


not any 


pareil 


such a 


autre 


other, else 


plusieurs 


several 


certain 


some 


quel 


which, what 


chaque 


each, every 


quelconque 


whatever 


l'un et l'autre 


both 


quelque 


some, whatever 


Tun ou l'autre 


either 


quel que 


whatever 


maint 


many a 


tel 


such, like 


meme 


same 


tout 


all, every 



Je n'ai aucun livre ici. (I have not any book here.) 

II n'a pas un sou. (He has not a cent.) 

Voulez-vous un autre morceau de pain. (Will you have an- 
other piece of bread.) 

II y a certaines personnes bien malheureuses. (There are 
some persons very unfortunate.) 

Chaque age a ses plaisirs. (Each age has its pleasures.) 

Plusieurs enfants courent dans cette prairie. (Several child- 
ren run in this meadow.) 

J'ai achete plusieurs fourchettes d'argent. (I have bought 
several silver forks.) 

DEGREES OF COMPARISON 
(Degres de Comparaison) 

There are three degrees of comparison: the positive, the 
comparative, the superlative. 

The .positive degree denotes simply a quality without a 
comparison. 

The comparatives are of three different kinds : That of 
equality, that of superiority, that of inferiority. 

The comparative of equality is expressed : 

1. By aussi (as) before the adjective and que (as) follow- 
ing it, as : 

Ma maison est aussi belle que la votre. (My house is as 
beautiful as yours.) 

2. By pas si (not so) in a negative sentence, as : 

Ala sceur Marie n'est pas si instruite que ma cousine Louise. 
(My sister Mary is not so learned as my cousin Louise.) 

Than, is always expressed in French by que. 

The comparative of superiority is expressed : 

1. By plus (more) before the adjective and que (as) fol- 
lowing it, as : 

Mon jardin est plus grand que le sien. (My garden is larger 
than his.) 



DEGREES OF COMPARISON 125 

2. By pas plus (not more) in a negative sentence, before 
the adjective and que (as) following it, as: 

L'oncle n'est pas plus age que la tante. (The uncle is not 
older than the aunt.) 

The comparative of inferiority is expressed : 

1. By moins (less) placed before the adjective and que (as) 
following it, as : 

L'or est moins utile que le fer. (Gold is less useful than iron.) 

2. By pas moins (not less) in a negative sentence, before 
the adjective and que (as) following it, as: 

Le poisson n'est pas moins vif que l'oiseau. (The fish is not 
less quick than the bird.) 

Use de instead of que before a numeral, as : 

II me doit plus de mille francs. (He owes me more than one 
thousand francs.) 

Ce monsieur a perdu moins de vingt mille francs. (This 
gentleman has lost less than twenty thousand francs.) 

To express the absolute superlative use tres, bien, fort (all 
three words mean very when used before an adjective), ex- 
tremement, infiniment. 

In order to avoid the repetition of tres (very), bien (well) 
and fort (strong) are used before the adjective and have the 
same meaning as tres (very). 

Cette dame est tres-belle, bien amiable et fort riche. (That 
lady is very beautiful, very amiable and very wealthy.) 

The superlative degree is obtained by placing le, la, les, ac- 
cording to gender and number, or the possessive adjectives 
mon, ton, son, ma, ta, sa, notre, votre, leur, mes, tes, ses, nos, 
vos, leurs, before plus (most) for the superlative of superiority 
and before moins (least) for the superlative of inferiority, as: 

Ma plus douce esperance. (The sweetest of my hopes.) 

Notre plus grand malheur. (Our greatest misfortune.) 

La plus grande eglise de la ville. (The largest church in 
town.) 

L'homme le plus ruse du monde. (The most artful man in 
the world. 

Le moins applique des eleves. (The least attentive of the 
pupils.) 

Les domestiques les moins fideles. (The least faithful of 
the servants.) 

Mes moins beaux chevaux. (The least handsome of my 
horses.) 



126 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



The following adjectives and adverbs are irregular in the 
formation of their comparatives and superlatives : 

ADJECTIVES 

1. bon (good), meilleur (better), le meilleur (the best). 

2. mauvais (bad), pire (worse), le pire (the worst). 

3. petit (little), moindre (less), le moindre (the least). 

ADVERBS 

1. bien (well), mieux (better), le mieux (the best). 

2. mal (bad), pis (worse), le pis (the worst). 

3. peu (little), moins (less), le inoins (the least). 

4. beaucoup (much), plus (more), le plus (the most). 



FORMATION OF ADVERBS FROM ADJECTIVES 
Adjectives which end with a vowel take ment for their termi- 



nation, 

sage 

poli 

ingenu 

obstine 

facile 

infini 

absolu 

modere 



as: 



sage-ment 

poliment 

ingenu-ment 

obstine-ment 

facile-ment 

infini-ment 

absolu-ment 

modere-ment 



wisely 

politely 

ingenuously 

obstinately 

easily 

exceedingly 

absolutely 

moderately 



The following are excepted, and add ment to their feminine 
adjective: 

Masc. Fem. Adverb 

beau belle belle-ment finely 

fou folle folle-ment foolishly 

mou molle molle-ment softly 

nouveau nouvelle nouvelle-ment newly 

Adjectives which end in ant or ent change ant into amment 
and ent into emment. 

(Both are pronounced alike — amment — but the correct spell- 
ing requires that the a or the e of the adjective should be re- 
tained in the adverb.) 



const-ant 
puiss-ant 



pati-ent 
prud-ent 



ADJECTIVES ENDING IN ANT 

const-amment constantly 

puiss-amment powerfully 

ADJECTIVES ENDING IN ENT 

pati-emment patiently 

prud-emment prudently 



ADVERBS 



127 



There are two exceptions to this rule, 
lent makes lentement slowly 

present makes presentement presently 

Adjectives which end neither in a vowel, nor in ant or ent 
have ment added to their feminine termination. 



MASCULINE 


FEMININE 


; adverb 




attentif 


attentive 


attentive-ment 


attentively 


grand 


grande 


grande-ment 


greatly 


doux 


douce 


douce-ment 


gently 


heureux 


heureuse 


heureuse-ment 


happily 



Note — The final e of adjectives remains mute before ment 
when they become adverbs, except in the following, where 
the e takes an acute accent : 



MASCULINE 


FEMININE 


ADVERB 




aveugle 


aveugle 


aveugle-ment 


blindly 


commode 


commode 


commode-ment 


commodiously 


commun 


commune 


commune-ment 


commonly 


conforme 


conforme 


conforme-ment 


conformably 


confus 


confuse 


confuse-ment 


confusedly 


diffus 


diffuse 


diffuse-ment 


diffusely 


enorme 


enorme 


enorme-ment 


enormously 


expres 


expresse 


expresse-ment 


expressly 


immense 


immense 


immense-ment 


immensely 


importun 


importune 


importune-ment 


importunately 


incommode 


incommode 


incommode-ment 


inconveniently 


obscur 


obscure 


obsure-ment 


obscurely 


opiniatre 


opiniatre 


opiniatre-ment 


obstinately 


precis 


precise 


precise-ment 


precisely 


profond 


profonde 


profonde-ment 


profoundly 


prof us 


profuse 


profuse-ment 


profusely 


uni forme 


uniforme 


uniforme-ment 


uniformly 




IRREGUEAR FORMATIONS 




econome 


econom-iquement economically 


gentil 


genti 


-ment prettily 


impuni 


impune-ment with 


impunity 


traitre 


traitr-eusement treacherously 



ADVERBS NOT 

ainsi (thus, so) 
bien (well, very) 
comment (how) 
ensemble (together) 



formed From adjectives 
mal (ill, badly ) 
peu (little in quantity) 
vite (quickly) 



128 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



ADJECTIVES WITH TWO MEANINGS, ACCORDING 

TO THE PLACE THEY OCCUPY, BEFORE 

OR AFTER THE NOUN 

BEFORE) THE) NOUN 



1. 


bon homme 


simple man 


2. 


brave homme 


honest man 


3. 


certaine nouvelle 


certain news 


4. 


cher ami 


dear friend 


5. 


cruel enfant. 


teasing child 


6. 


differents livres 


various books 


7. 


commun accord 


mutual agreement 


8. 


le dernier jeudi 


the last Thursday 


9. 


digne homme 


worthy man 


10. 


fol enfant 


foolish child 


11. 


franc joneur 


thorough gambler 


12. 


galant homme 


gentleman 


13. 


gentilhomme 


nobleman 


14. 


grosse femme 


stout woman 


15. 


grand homme 


great man 


16. 


fausse corde 


chord not tuned 


17. 


furieux animal 


huge animal 


18. 


honnete homme 


honest man 


19. 


maigre diner 


poor dinner 


20. 


maigre salaire 


small salary 


21. 


malhonnete homme 


dishonest man 


22. 


mauvais air 


contaminated air 


23. 


mediants vers 


bad verses 


24. 


noir attentat 


atrocious attempt 


25. 


nouveau vin 


fresh wine 


26. 


parfait imbecile 


downright idiot 


27. 


pauvre homme 


worthless man 


28. 


petit homme 


mean man 


29. 


plaisant homme 


pleasant man 


30. 


en pleine cour 


before the court 


31. 


mon propre habit 


my own coat 


32. 


pure vanite 


mere vanity 


33. 


sage femme 


midwife 


34. 


sain d'esprit 


sound mind 


35. 


un seul homme 


one man only 


36. 


simple soldat 


a private (soldier) 


37. 


triste mari 


paltry husband 


38. 


veritable histoire 


real story 


39. 


vrai militaire 


real soldier 


40. 


vilain homme 


nasty man 



i 



ADJECTIVES WITH TWO MEANINGS 



129 



ADJECTIVES WITH TWO MEANINGS, ACCORDING 

TO THE PLACE THEY OCCUPY, BEFORE 

OR AFTER THE NOUN— Continued 

AFTER THE NOUN 



1. 


homme bon 


kind man 


2. 


homme brave 


courageous man 


3. 


nouvelle eertaine 


sure news 


4. 


livre cher 


costly book 


5. 


enfant cruel 


cruel child 


6. 


livres differents 


dissimilar books 


7. 


mot commun 


vulgar word 


8. 


jeudi dernier 


last Thursday 


9. 


homme digne 


dignified man 


10. 


enfant fou 


mad child 


11. 


joueur franc 


frank gambler 


12. 


homme galant 


courteous man 


13. 


homme gentil 


a handsome man 


14. 


femme grosse 


pregnant woman 


15. 


homme grand 


tall man 


16. 


corde fausse 


false chord 


17. 


animal furieux 


infuriated animal 


18. 


homme honnete 


polite man 


19. 


diner maigre 


fish dinner 


20. 


enfant maigre 


thin child 


21. 


homme malhonnete 


uncivil man 


22. 


air mauvais 


wicked air 


23. 


vers mediants 


malicious verses 


24. 


chapeau noir 


black hat 


25. 


vin nouveau 


wine newly made 


26. 


ouvrage parfait 


perfect work 


27. 


homme pauvre 


poor man 


28. 


m homme petit 


short man 


29. 


homme plaisant 


pleasant man 


30. 


cour pleine 


full yard (court) 


31. 


mon habit propre 


my clean dress 


32. 


vin pur 


pure wine 


33. 


femme sage 


wise woman 


34. 


chambre saine 


healthy room 


35. 


un homme seul 


a man alone 


36. 


soldat simple 


silly soldier 


37. 


mari triste 


dull husband 


38. 


histoire veritable 


true story 


39. 


militaire vrai 


genuine soldier 


40. 


homme vilain 


ugly man 



130 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

FORMATION OF THE PLURAL OF NOUNS 
(Formation du Pluriel Substantif on Nom) 

The plural of French nouns is generally formed by adding 
an s to the singular, as : 

le frere (the brother) les freres (the brothers) 

la soeur (the sister) les sceurs (the sisters) 

l'eglise (the church) les eglises (the churches) 

l'ecole (the school) les ecoles (the schools) 

Regies Spe dales (Special Rules) 
Nouns ending in s, x, z, do not vary in the plural, as : 
le fils (the son) les fils (the sons) 

la voix (the voice) les voix (the voices) 

le prix (the price) les prix (the prices) 

le nez (the nose) les nez (the noses) 

Nouns ending in eau, au, eu, or ceu, take x, as : 
le chapeau (the hat) les chapeaux (the hats) 

1'etau (the vise, a tool) les etaux (the vises) 

le jeu (the game) les jeux (the games) 

le vceu (the vow) les voeux (the vows) 

Except landau (a kind of a carriage) les landaus. 

Nouns ending in al, change al into aux, as : 
le cheval (the horse) les chevaux (the horses) 

Thopital (the hospital) les hopitaux (the hospitals) 

The ten following are excepted, and take s, according to the 
general rule: 

aval (surety for payment) local (premises) 

bal (dancing ball) narval (unicorn-fish) 

cal (callosity) nopal (nopal) 

carnaval (carnival) pal (pale in heraldry) 

chacal (jackal) regal (treat) 

EXCEPTIONS 
Nouns ending in ou take s, but the seven following take x, as : 
le bijou (jewel) les bijoux (the jewels) 

le caillou (pebble) les cailloux (the pebbles) 

le chou (cabbage) les choux (the cabbages) 

le genou (knee) les genoux (the knees) 

le hibou (owl) les hiboux (the owls) 

le joujou (toy) les joujoux (the toys) 

le pou (louse) les poux (the lice) 



NOUNS 131 

Nouns ending in ail take s, but the six following change 
ail into aux: 

le bail (lease) les baux (the leases) 

le corail (coral) les coraux (the corals) 

T email (enamel) les emaux (the enamels) 

le soupirail (air hole) les soupiraux (the air holes) 

le vantail (door flap) les vantaux (the door flaps) 

le plumail (feather brush) les plumaux (the feather 

brushes) 

Remark — ail (clove of garlic) makes either ails or aulx in 
the plural. Betail (cattle), the most irregular, makes bestiaux. 

NOUNS WITH TWO PLURALS, ACCORDING TO THE 

MEANING 

(Noms Ay ant Deux Formes De Pluriel D'apres Leur Diife- 
rente Signification) 

travail 
travaux — labors 
travails — brake, or minister's reports. 

aieul 
aieux — ancestors, 
aieuls — paternal or maternal grandfathers. 

ciel 
cieux — heaven, 
ciels — testers, roof of a quarry, climate, sky of picture. 

ceil 

yeux — eyes. 

oeils — ceils de boeuf — ox eyes. 

LINKING OF WORDS (Liaison des Mots) 

Before a word beginning with a vowel or silent h, the final 
consonant of the preceding word is sounded when these two 
words are so linked together that if pronounced separately the 
signification would loose its clearness and be incomplete. 

deuxamis (two friends) 

le premierarbre (the first tree) 

les fruits bonsa manger (The fruit good to eat). 

desa present (henceforth). 

The nasal sounds (those ending with n or m) form an excep- 
tion. Neither n or m are carried, 
la faim et la soif hunger and thirst 

un parfum agreable a pleasant perfume 

le bien et le mal good and evil 



132 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

OBSERVATION 
The n of nasal endings is not carried to the following words, 
although it begins with a vowel or silent h: 
Tan entier the entire year 

artisan habile clever mechanic 

terrain a batir building lots 

serin apprivoise tame canary bird 

chacun agit pour soi each one for himself 

quelqu'un est-il venu? has some one come? 

When adjectives ending in, ain, ien, on, un, followed by the 
noun which they qualify, the final n is carried and is sounded 
as if it was the initial letter of that noun, 
ancienusage (nu) old custom 

vainespoir (nes) futile hope 

certainauteur (nau) certain author 

bonecrivain (ne) good writer 

monami (na) my friend 

aucunhomme (nom) no man 

The nasal endings formed with m follow the same rule as 
those formed with n. The m is not carried, 
la faim et la soif hunger and thirst 

Adam et Eve Adam and Eve 

un parfum agreable a pleasant perfume 

un essaim enorme an enormous swarm 

CONSONANTS 
General rule on the pronunciation of final consonants. 
When the final consonant is preceded by a nasal sound it is 
not linked to the following word. 
plomb (lead) front (forehead) 

aplomb (self-command) argent (silver, money) 

banc (bench sans (without) 

franc (franc) fonds (fund) 

blanc (white) temps (weather) 

jonc (rush) printemps (the springtime) 

grand (great) prompt (prompt) 

bond (leap) exempt (exempt) 

profond (deep) vent (wind) 

rang (rank) moins (less) 

sang (blood) instinct (instinct) 

seing (signature) Je vins (I came) 

camp (camp) Tu vins (Thou earnest) 

diamant (diamond) II vint (He came) 



CONSONANTS 133 

s final is sounded in the word sens, as in, "II a perdu le sens," 
but s is silent in "le sens commun," (common sense). 

C'est le sens de mes paroles (s sounded). (It is the meaning 
of my words.) 

C'est un sot qui n'a pas le sens commun. (It is a fool who is 
deprived of common sense.) 

When a final consonant is preceded by r, it is not carried to 
the following word. 

EXAMPLE 

accord (accord) lourd (heavy) clerc (clerk) 

art (art) sourd (deaf) desert (desert) 

alors (then) discours (a speech) vert (green) 

corps (body) cours (course) concert (concert) 

nord (north) secours (help) Je perds (I lose) 

bord (brink) ton jours (always) revers (reverses) 

dehors (outside) marc (mark) divers (diverse) 

port (port) lard (bacon) Je meurs (I die) 

sort (fate) • ecart (deviation) II meurt (He dies) 

fort (strong) part (share) ailleurs (elsewhere) 

rapport (income) hasard (hazard) pleurs (tears) 

The following words are excepted : 
arc (ark) heurt (hit, knock) 

mceurs (morals) serf (serf) 

pare (park) turc (turk) 

Marc (proper name) (Marc) Mars (March) 

Final consonants which are not sounded, are almost always 
easily found out by their derivatives. 

EXAMPLE 

tard (late) from tarder (to be late) 

art (art) from artiste (artist) 

pervers (perverted) from perversite (perversity) 

gril (gridiron) from griller (to broil) 

fusil (gun) from fusilier (to shoot) 

champ (field) from champetre (rural) 

fin (end) from finir (to finish) 

In English, consonants in the middle of words or at the be- 
ginning of words are often silent, as p and 1, in psalm, g in 
phlegm, 1 in calm, or palm. 

In French, consonants in a like position retain their proper 
sound. Thus, in psaume, flegme, calme, palme. The p, the 
g, and the 1, are fully sounded. 



134 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



SUBSTANTIVES, MASCULINE IN ONE SIGNIFICA- 
TION, AND FEMININE IN ANOTHER 



un aide (helper) 

une aide (assistance) 

un aigle {eagle) 

une aigle (standard) 

un aune (alder) 

une aune (ell) 

un Barbe (Barbary horse) 

une barbe (beard) 

un barde (bard, poet) 

une barde (thin slice of bacon) 

un Basque (Basque) (people) 

une basque (skirt) 

un carpe (wrist) (anatomy) 

une carpe (a carp) (fish) 

un cartouche (ornament in 
sculpture) 

une cartouche (cartridge) 

un coche (travelling coach) 

une coche (sow) 

un claque (opera hat) 

une claque (a slap) 

un cornette (cornet, standard- 
bearer) 

une cornette (a sort of cap) 

un couple (a couple, husband 
and wife) 

une couple (a brace, a pair, 
two) 

un Cravate (Croat, Croatian 
Soldier) 

une cravate (neck cloth) 

un crepe (crape) 

une crepe (pancake) 

un enseigne (ensign) 

une enseigne (commercial sign) 

un espace (space) 

une espace (space in printing) 

un exemple (example) 

une exemple (writing copy) 

un faux (forgery) 

une faux (scythe) 

un foret (drill, tool) 

une foret (forest) 



un garde (keeper) 

une garde (guard) 

un givre (hoar frost) 

une givre (serpent, in heraldry) 

le greffe (registry) 

la grefle (graft) 

un guide (guide) 

une guide (rein) 

un hymne (national hymn) 

une hymne (sacred hymn) 

un iris (rainbow) 

une iris (iris, stone-flower) 

le laque (lacker) 

la laque (gum-lac) 

un livre (book) 

une livre (pound) 

un manche (handle) 

une manche (sleeve) 

un manoeuvre (laborer) 

une manoeuvre (drill) 

un memoire (memorandum) 

une memoire (memory) 

un mode (form) 

une mode (fashion) 

un mole (pier) 

une mole (moon calf) 

un moufle (a vessel used to 

bake china) 
une moufle (mitten) 
un moule (mould) 
une moule (mussel) 
un mousse (cabin boy) 
une mousse (moss) 
un oeuvre (work, act) 
une oeuvre (literary works) 
un office (divine service) 
une office (pantry) 
un ombre (game at cards) 
une ombre (shadow, spectre) 
un page (page to a king) 
une page (page of a book) 
un paillasse (clown) 
une paillasse (straw bed) 



NOUNS WITH TWO MEANINGS 



135 



un palme (hand's breadth) un relache (relaxation) 

une palme (the advantage) une relache (harbor) 

les Paques (Easter devotions) un remise (hackney-coach) 



la Paque (Passover) 
Paque or Paques (Easter) 
un parallele (comparison) 
une parallele (parallel line) 
le pendule (pendulum) 
une pendule (clock) 
un periode (acme, height) 
une periode (period, epoch) 
un pique (spade, at cards) 



une remise (carriage, house, 
also postponement) 

un Satyre (Satyr) 

une satire (satire) 

le Serpentaire (Serpentarius, 
constellation) 

une serpentaire (dragon-wort) 

le solde (balance of account) 

la solde (pay) 

un somme (nap, sleep) 



une pique (pike) 

un pivoine (bird, gnat snapper) une somme (sum) 

une pivoine (peonie, flower) un souris (smile) 

un plane (plane, tree) une souris (mouse) 

une plane (plane, joiner's tool)un tour (tour, turn, trick) 

le platine (platina) une tour (tower) 

la platine (small metallic plate) un triomphe (triumph) 

un poele (stove, pall) une triomphe (trump 

une poele (frying pan) cards) 

le ponte (punter, in game) un trompette (trumpeter) 



at 



la ponte (laying of eggs) 
un poste (place, office) 
la poste (postonice) 
le pourpre (purples (illness) 
la pourpre (royal purple) 
un pretexte (pretence) 
une Pretexte (Roman robe) 
un quadrille (quadrille, dance) 
une quadrille (troop of horse- 
men) 



une trompette (trumpet) 

le vague (space, emptiness) 

la vague (wave) 

un vase (vase, vessel) 

la vase (mire, slime) 

un voile (veil) 

une voile (sail) 



136 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



The following 


nouns 


have a distinct form for individuals 


the female sex: 








MASCULINE 


feminine: 




un abbe 


une 


abbesse 


an abbot 


un accusateur 


une 


accusatrice 


an accuser 


un acteur 


une 


actrice 


an actor 


un ambassadeur 


une 


ambassadrice 


an ambassador 


un apprenti 


une 


apprentie 


an apprentice 


un baron 


une 


baronne 


a baron 


un berger 


une 


bergere 


a shepherd 


un bienfaiteur 


une 


bienfaitrice 


a benefactor 


un chanoine 


une 


chanoinesse 


a canon 


un chanteur 


une 


chanteuse 


a singer 


un chasseur 


une 


chasseuse 


a hunter 


un chasseur 


une 


chasseresse 


a hunter (in poetry) 


un comte 


une 


comtesse 


a count 


un danseur 


une 


danseuse 


a dancer 


un dieu 


une 


deesse 


a god 


un due 


une 


duchesse 


a duke 


un electeur 


une 


electrice 


an elector 


un empereur 


une 


imperatrice 


an emperor 


un fondateur 


une 


fondatrice 


a founder 


un jouvenceau 


une 


jouvencelle 


a lad 


un lion 


une 


lionne 


a lion 


un pa'ien 


une 


paienne 


a heathen 


un paon 


une 


paonne 


a peacock * 


un paysan 


une 


paysanne 


a peasant 


un prieur 


une 


prieure 


a prior 


un prince 


une 


princesse 


a prince 


un protecteur 


une 


protectrice 


a protector 


un roi 


une 


reine 


a king 



The few substantives, auteur (author), peintre (painter), 
poete (poet), are of the masculine only. When used in the 
feminine, the word femme (woman) is placed before them: 

une femme auteur (an authoress) 

une femme peintre (a woman painter) 

une femme poete (a poetess) 

une femme medecin (a doctress) 

une femme avocat (a woman lawyer) 

une femme chirurgien (a woman surgeon) 

une femme dentiste (a woman dentist) 

une femme sculpteur (a woman sculptor) 

une femme temoin (a woman witness) 

une femme ecrivain (a woman writer) 

une femme orateur (a woman orator) 



NOUNS USED ONLY IN PLURAL 



137 



SUBSTANTIVES WHICH HAVE NO SINGULAR IN 

FRENCH 



les annales (annals) 

les ancetres (ancestors) 

les alentours (the environs) 

les broussailles (brushwood) 

les decombres (rubbish) 

les debris (remains) 

les depens (cost) 

les entrailles (entrails) 

les frais (expenses) 

les funerailles (funeral rites) 

The following nouns take, 
than in the singular : 
le ciseau (the chisel) 
les ciseaux (the scissors) 
la lunette (the telescope) 
les lunettes (the spectacles) 
le fer (the iron) 
les fers (the fetters) 
la grace (the pardon) 
les graces (the charms) 
le gage (the pledge) 
les gages (the wages) 
la mesure (the measure) 
les mesures (ways and means 



les gens (people) 
les hardes (clothes) 
les mathematiques (mathe- 
matics) 
les materiaux (materials) 
les mceurs (the manners) 
les mouchettes (snuffers) 
les pleurs (the tears) 
les tenebres (darkness) 
les vivres (victuals) 

in the plural, another meaning 

la viande (the meat) 

les viandes (the food) 

la troupe (the troop) 

les troupes (the troops) 

la lumiere (the light) 

les lumieres (the knowledge) 

l'aboi (the barking) 

les abois (the agony) 

la defense (the defence) 

les defenses (the tusks, fangs) 



OBSERVATION 

Oui is the general expression for yes, but si is generally used 
to answer affirmatively a question in which there is a negative 
as: 

Le voyez-vous ? Do you see him ? 

Oui, je le vois Yes, I see him 

Ne le voyez-vous pas ? Do you not see him ? 

Si, je le vois Yes, I see him. 



138 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 





PO 


SSESSIVE PRONOUNS 

(Pr ononis Possessifs) 


Possessive pronouns agree in gender 
noun to which they refer. They are: 


and number with the 


MASC. SING. 




EEM. SING. 




le mien 
le tien 
le sien 
le notre 
le votre 
le leur 




la mienne 
la tienne 
la sienne 
la notre 
la votre 
la leur 


mine 

thine 

his, hers, its 

ours 

yours 

theirs 


MASC. PEUR. 




EEM. PLUR. 




les miens 
les tiens 
les siens 




les miennes 
les tiennes 
les siennes 


mine 
thine 
his, hers, its 


les notres — ours 


les votres — yours 


les leurs — theirs 



EXAMPLES 

Voici votre chapeau et voila le mien. (Here is your hat and 
there is mine.) 

Mon cheval est plus beau que le sien. (My horse is hand- 
somer than his.) 

Le chien de mon oncle est plus fort que le tien. (My uncle's 
dog is stronger than thine.) 

Tout le monde a ses gants; j'ai les miens; vous, monsieur 
Charles, vous avez les votres, madame Paul a les siens ; et les 
messieurs Henri ont les leurs. (Every one has his gloves; I 
have mine ; you, Mister Charles, have yours, Madame Paul has 
hers, and the Misters Henry have theirs.) 



PERSONAL PRONOUNS 
(Pronoms Personels) 

There are three persons: 

The first, or the person who speaks. The second, or the 
person spoken to. The third, or the person spoken of. 

SUBJECT DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT 

Je (I) me (me me (tome) 

Tu (Thou) te (thee) te (to thee) 

II (He) le (him or it) 

Elle (She) la (her or it) 

Nous (We) nous (us) 

Vous (You) vous (you) 

lis (They) les (them) 

Elles (They) les (them) 



lui (to him) 
lui (to her or to it) 
nous (to us) 
vous (to you) 
leur (to them) 
leur (to them) 






PRONOUNS 139 

SUBJECT AND OBJECT EMPHATIC FORM 

moi (I or me) moi-meme (myself) 

toi (thou or thee) toi-meme (thyself) 

lui (he, him, it) lui-meme (himself) 

elle (she, her, it) elle-meme (herself) 

nous (we or us) nous-memes (ourselves) 

vous (you) vous-m ernes (yourselves) 

eux (they or them) eux-memes (themselves) 

elles (they or them) elles-memes (themselves) 

The personal pronouns, either as subjects or objects, gen- 
erally precede the verb, the subject being placed first, as: 

Je te parle I speak to thee 

Tu me paries Thou speakest to me 

II le connait He knows him or it 

Elle la bat She strikes her or it 

Nous lui ecrivons We write to him or to her 

Vous nous flattez You flatter us 

lis les aiment They love them 

Elles leur sourient They smile on them 

The negative ne (not) may separate the pronoun subject 
from the pronoun object by coming between them, but an 
adverb never separates them, as : 

Je ne les aime pas. (I do not like them.) 

Je lui ecris souvent (not Je souvent). (I often write to 
him or to her.) 

Quichante? (Who sings?) Moi (I.) 

Qui parle? (Who speaks?) Nous. (We.) 

Qui vient? (Who comes?) Elle. (She.) 

Toi et moi nous sommes bons amis. (Thou and I are good 
friends.) 

le, la, 1', les, although being like the definite article in 
spelling, are also used as personal pronouns, in which case they 
always accompany a verb, while the article accompanies a noun. 



en (some, any of it, of them) always precedes the verb. En 
is required in answering a question asked with a verb followed 
by du, de la, des, used in a partitive sense, or by the preposition 
de, as : 

Avez-vous du bois ? Have you any wood ? 

Oui, j'en ai Yes, I have some 

Ont-ils de la poudre ? Have they any powder ? 

Oui, ils en ont Yes, they have some 

Avons-nous des lettres? Have we any letters? 

Oui, nous en avons Yes, we have some 



140 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

RULE 
me, te, se, nous, vous, go before any other, 
le, la, les, go before lui, leur y or en 
lui, leur, go before y or en 
y goes before en ; moi, toi, go the last. 



THE SEASONS (Les Saisons) 
II y a quatre saisons dans l'annee. (There are four seasons 
in the year.) 

le printemps (spring) (prin (in as vin) 
l'ete (summer) (lay-tay) 
Tautomne (fall) (lo-ton) 
l'hiver (winter) (lee-vayr) 

THE DAYS OF THE WEEK 
(Les Jours de la Semaine) 

II y a sept jours dans une semaine. (There are seven days in 
a week) 

II y a cinquante-deux semaines dans une annee. (There are 
fifty- two weeks in one year.) 

Lundi (Monday) (ler (nasal) dee) 

Mardi (Tuesday) (mar-dee) 

Mercredi (Wednesday) (mair-crer-dee) 

Jeudi (Thursday) (zhu (urn) dee) 

Vendredi (Friday) (ven (encore) dre-dee) 

Samedi (Saturday) (sam-dee) 

Dimanche (Sunday) (dee-man (blanc) sh) 

•THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR 

(Les Mois de L'Annee) 

II y a 12 mois dans l'annee. (There are 12 months in the 
year.) 

Janvier (Zhan-vee-ay) (January) 

Fevrier (Fay-vree-ay) (February) 

Mars (Mars) (March) 

Avril (Ah-vree-ye) (April) 

Mai (May) (May) 

Juin (Zh-wa) (a in anger) (June) 

Juillet (Zh-wee-yay) (July) 

Aout (oo) (August) 

Septembre (br) (September) 

Octobre (»br) (October) 

Novembre (br) (November) 

Decembre (br) (December) 

Quel quantieme avons-nous aujourd'hui? (What day of 
the month is it today?) 



VEBRS 141 

VERBS USED NEGATIVELY 

Negation is generally expressed in French by two words, 
the first of which, ne (or n' before a vowel or h mute), is 
placed before the verb, the second, pas (not), follows the 
verb in simple tenses and is placed between the auxiliary and 
the past participle in compound tenses. Both words (ne pas) 
precede the verb in the infinitive, as: ne pas savoir (not to 
know), ne pas parler (not to speak). 

As you see, the French use a double negative. Ne is placed 
immediately after the subject and precedes the verb, giving 
a sense of negation to the sentence from the start. While in 
English they say, "I think I have — not," the French say, "J e 
ne pense pas en avoir." 

Principal Negations Used With French Verbs. 

ne-pas (not) ne-nul (not one) 

ne-point (not at all) ne-aucun (not one) 

ne-plus (no more, no longer) ne-nullement (by no means) 

ne-jamais (never) ne-aucunement (by no means) 

ne-rien (nothing) ne-nullepart (nowhere) 

ne-guere (but little, not often) ne-ni — ni (neither, nor) 

ne-personne (nobody) ne-que (nothing but, only) 

When there is a negation in a sentence, always place ne or 
n' before the verb, the same as with pas. Consult the foregoing 
list, giving the principal negations used with French verbs. 

Verbes Neutres (Neuter Verbs) 

Neuter verbs are conjugated, in their simple tenses, quite 
like active verbs according to the model of the conjugation to 
which they belong. The compound tenses are mostly formed 
with avoir, as they generally mark action, as : 

J'ai couru (I have run) 
II a marche (he has walked) 
Nous avons dormi (we have slept) 

The following take etre, as they express state rather than 
action : 

aller (to go) naitre (to be born) 

arriver (to arrive) partir (to set out) 

deceder (to expire) tomber (to fall) 

eclore (to blow open) venir (to come) 

mourir (to die) devenir (to become) 



142 CORRECT FRENCH BING 

Forme Interrogative {Interrogative Form) 

Eight verbs which have only one syllable in the first person 
singular of the indicative present may be used interrogatively 
either way. 

EXAMPLES 

ai-je? (or) est-ce que j'ai? (have I?) 
suis-je? or) est-ce que je suis? (am I?) 
vais-je? (or) est-ce que je vais? (do I go?) 
puis-je? (or) est-ce que je peux? (can I?) 
sais-je? (or) est-ce que je sais? (do I know?) 
vois-je? (or) est-ce que je vois? (do I see?) 
dois-je? (or) est-ce que je dois? (do I owe?) 
dis-je? (or) est-ce que je dis? (do I say?) 

Est-ce-que? (Is it that?) is also used before the first person 
singular of verbs having only one syllable, as : 

Je sens (I feel) Je tends (I extend) 

Je prends (I take) Je fonds (I melt) 
or those whose last syllable ends in ge, such as : 

Je mange (I eat) Je range I arrange) 

Je venge (I avenge) Je songe (I dream) 
and others like : 

J'unis (I unite) J'offre (I offer) 
Je permets (I permit) 

An euphonic t is placed between the verb and the pronoun in 
the third person singular ending in a vowel, as : 

a-t-il? (has he?) aime-t-il? (does he like?) 

aura-t-il? (will he have?) donna-t-il? (did he give?) 

When verbs used interrogatively end with a silent e in the 
first person singular, that e takes an acute accent, as : 

parley e? (do I speak?) chante-je? (do I sing?) 

The interrogative form is obtained by placing the personal 
pronoun after the verb to which it is united by a hyphen, as : 

ai-je? (have I?) avons-nous? (have we?) 

The tenses of the indicative and conditional are the only 
ones used interrogatively. 

Est-ce-que? (Is it that?) may also be used before every per- 
son of an affirmative verb and will simplify the use of the in- 
terrogative form. 



vebrs 143 

Verbes Reflechis oil Pronominaux (Reflective Verbs) 

In French all reflective verbs, without exception, take in 
their compound tenses the auxiliary verb etre (to be), while 
in English they take to have. Nearly all the active verbs may 
become reflective. In reflective verbs the pronoun object is of 
the same person as the subject. Each person is, therefore, 
conjugated with a double personal pronoun, thus : 

Je me I myself 

Tute Thou thyself 

II se He himself 

Elle se She herself 

On se One one's self 

Nous nous We ourselves 

Vous vous You yourself 

lis se They themselves (mas) 

Elles se They themselves (fern) 

EXAMPLES 

Model of a Reflective Verb "Se Flatter" (To Flatter Oneself) 

AFFIRMATIVELY NEGATIVELY 

Je me flatte (I flatter myself) Je ne me flatte pas 

Tu te flattes (Thou flatterest thyself) Tu ne te flattes pas 
Use flatte (He flatters himself) II ne se flatte pas 

Elle se flatte (She flatters herself) Elle ne se flatte pas 
Nous nous flattons (We flatter our- Nous ne nous flattons pas 

selves) 
Vous vous flattez (You flatter Vous ne vous flattez pas 

yourselves) 
lis se flattent (They flatter them- lis ne se flattent pas 

selves) 
Elles se flattent (They flatter them- Elles ne se flattent pas 

selves) 

INTERROGATIVELY NEGATIVELY AND INTERROGATIVELY 

Me flatte-je? Ne me flatte-je pas? 

Te flattes-tu? Ne te flattes-tu pas? 

Se flatte-t-il? Ne se flatte-t-il- pas? 

Se flatte-t-elle ? Ne se flatte-t-elle pas ? 

Nous flattons-nous ? Ne nous flattons-nous pas? 

Vous flattez-vous? Ne vous flattez-vous pas? 

Se flattent-ils ? Ne se flattent-ils pas ? 

Se flattent-elles ? Ne se flattent-elles pas? 



144 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

Verbes Passifs (Passive Verbs) 
Passive verbs represent the subject as being acted upon. 
They are conjugated with the auxiliary verb etre (to be), 
joined to the past participle of the active verb. Thus, any 
active verb may be changed into passive form. 

EXAMPLES 

J'aime (I love) Vous etes punis (you are 

Je suis aime (I am loved) punished) 

Vous punissez (you punish) 

Verbes Impersonels (Impersonal Verbs) 
Impersonal verbs are conjugated only in the third person 
singular. 

EXAMPLES 

pleuvoir (to rain) neiger (to snow) 

il pleut (it rains) il neige (it is snowing) 

il pleuvra (it will rain) greler (to hail) 

il a plu (it has rained) il grele (it hails) 

PREPOSITION 

The preposition a is used before the names of towns or 
villages with regard to residence and destination and the 
preposition en is used before the names of countries, as : 
Je vais a Paris I go to Paris 

Je demeure a Rome I reside in Rome 

Je vais en France I go to France 

Je demeure en Italie I reside in Italy 

Avant, and devant, both mean before. Avant relates to time 
and order (the opposite of apres (after) and devant relates 
to place (the opposite of derriere, (behind), as: 

Ma place est devant, j'etais ici avant vous. (My place is 
before, I was here before you.) 

Prenons une place de devant, nous verrons mieux. (Let us 
take a front seat, we shall see better.) 

Chez, means at the house, dwelling house, or business place 
of (at any one's home) and is followed by a pronoun which 
determines the person, as : 
Je suis chez moi I am at home 

Tu es chez toi Thou art at home 

II est chez lui He is at home 

Elle est chez elle She is at home 

Nous sommes chez nous We are at home 

Vous etes chez vous You are at home 

lis sont chez eux They are at home 

Elles sont chez elles They are at home 



CONJUNCTION AND INTERJECTION 145 

OTHER EXAMPLES 

Allez chez le tailleur Go to the tailor's 

Je viens de chez l'epicier I come from the grocer's 

Envers (towards) is used to denote the tendency of moral 
qualities, actions, or feelings; vers (towards) denotes the 
tendency of time or motion, as : 

Soyez bon envers le pauvre Be good towards the poor 
II est severe envers nous He is severe towards us 

II s'avance vers nous He advances towards us 

Vers l'an 1800. Towards the year 1800 

CONJUNCTION 

A conjunction serves to connect other words and proposi- 
tions. 

car (for, because) or (now) 

comme (as, like) ou (or, either) 

done (thus, so, therefore) parce que (because) 

et (and) pourquoi (why) 

mais (but) puisque (since) 

si (if) quoique (although) 
ni (neither, nor) 

Riche comme pauvre tout le monde meurt. (Wealthy or poor 
everybody must die.) 

Cette famille est pauvre mais elle est heureuse. (This family 
is poor but happy.) 

Le ciel etait noir on n'y voyait ni lune ni etoiles. (The sky 
was black, neither moon nor stars were visible.) 

Je vous demande pourquoi, repondez. (I ask you why, an- 
swer.) 

INTERJECTION 

Interjections are used to express the affections of the mind, 
either of joy, grief, fear, derision, aversion, admiration, ^sur- 
prise, or for encouraging, stopping, etc. 

Ciel ! que vois-je? (Dear me! what do I see?) 
Helas ! il est done mort? (Alas! he is then dead?) 
Gare ! voici tine voiture. (Clear the way! here is a carriage.) 
Ecoutez ! j'entends du bruit. (Hark! I hear a noise.) 
Ah! je suis blesse. (Ah! I am wounded.) 
Hola ! monsieur ! ou allez-vous ? (Hold ! sir ! Where are you 
going? 

Soyez le bien venu ! mon cher ami. (Welcome! my dear 
friend.) 



146 CORRECT 


C ^RE)NCH — BING 


LA FAMILLE (FAMILY) 


parente 


relationship 


ancetres 


ancestors 


a'ieux 


forefathers 


bisa'ieul 


great grand father 


grand-pere (or) aieul 


grand father 


grand'mere (or) a'ieule 


grand mother 


parents 


parents 


grands parents 


grand parents 


descendants 


posterity 


pere 


father 


mere 


mother 


en f ants 


children 


fils (fis) 


son 


fille 


daughter 


aine 


eldest son 


ainee 


eldest daughter 


cadet 


youngest son 


cadette 


youngest daughter 


jumeaux 


twin brothers 


jumelles 


twin sisters 


frere 


brother 


sceur 


sister 


epoux (or) mari 


husband 


epouse (or) femme 


wife 


petit-fils 


grand son 


petite-fille 


grand daughter 


arriere petit-fils 


great grand son 


arriere petite-fille 


great grand daughter 


un veuf 


a widower 


une veuve 


a widow 


un orphelin 


an orphan (boy) 


une orpheline 


an orphan (girl) 


les parents 


relatives 


proche parent 


near relative 


parent eloigne 


distant relative 


beau-pere 


step father or father-in-law 


belle-mere 


step mother or mother-in-law 


beau-frere 


step brother or brother-in-law 


belle-sceur 


step sister or sister-in-law 


beau-fils 


step son or son-in-law 


belle-fille 


step daughter, daughter-in-law 


gendre 


son-in-law 


bru 


daughter-in-law 


parrain 


godfather 



marraine 


godmother 


filleul 


godson 


filleule 


goddaughter 


oncle 


uncle 


grand oncle 


great uncle 


tante 


aunt 


grand'tante 


great aunt 


neveu 


nephew- 


niece 


niece 


cousin 


cousin (male) 


cousine 


cousin (female) 


cousin germain 


first cousin (male) 


cousine germaine 


first cousin -(female) 


petit cousin 


•second cousin (male) 


petite cousine 


second cousin (female) 


par alliance 


by marriage 


adoptif 


by adoption (male) 


adoptive 


by adoption (female) 


demi 


half (on one side) 


parents adoptifs 


foster parents 


fiance 


betrothed (male) 


fiancee 


betrothed (female) 


TOILETTE DE MONSIEUR (GENTLEMAN'S TC 


chemise 


shirt 


gilet de flanelle 


flannel shirt 


bas 


stockings 


chaussettes 


socks 


jarretieres 


garters 


bretelles 


suspenders 


faux-col 


collar 


bputon de chemise 


stud 


mbuchoir 


handkerchief 


guetres 


leggings 


foulard 


silk handkerchief 


poche 


pocket 


gousset 


watch pocket 


habillement complet 


a suit of clothes 


gilet 


waistcoat 


pantalons 


trousers 


une paire 


a pair 


calecons 


drawers 


culottes 


breeches 


sous-pied 


strap 


gant 


glove 



147 



148 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



des gants de peau 


kid gloves 


veste (or)jaquette 


jacket 


redingote 


frock-coat 


paletot 


great-coat 


pardessus 


over-coat 


impermeable 


water proof 


vetements (or) habits 


clothes 


doublure 


lining 


habit 


dress-coat 


manteau 


cloak 


cravate 


neck-tie 


chapeau 


hat 


casquette 


cap 


pantoufle 


slipper 


escarpin 


pump 


Soulier 


shoe 


■bottines 


low boots 


bottes 


high boots 


lacet 


shoe lace 


bouton 


button 


boutonniere 


button hole 


pan (or) basque 


skirt 


lorgnon 


eye-glass 


lorgnette 


opera-glass 


lunettes 


spectacles 


canne 


cane 


parapluie 


umbrella 


porte-monnaie 


pocket-book 


porte-cigares 


cigare case 


tabatiere 


snuff box 


perruque 


wig. 



APPAREL 



149 



TOILETTE DE DAME (LADY'S TOILET) 



chapeau 


bonnet 


chapeau de paille 


straw bonnet 


chapeau de feutre 


felt hat 


chapeau d'amazone 


riding hat 


bonnet 


cap 


corset 


stays 


jupon 


petticoat 


jupe 


skirt 


corsage 


waist 


robe 


dress 


peignoir 


wrapper 


amazone 


riding habit 


echarpe 


scarf 


fichu 


neckerchief 


manteau 


cloak 


pelerine 


cape 


chale 


shawl 


manchon 


muff 


fourrure 


fur 


palatine 


fur neck piece 


ruban 


ribbon 


dentelle 


lace 


noeud 


bow 


manches 


sleeves 


manchettes 


cuffs 


volant 


flounce 


plume 


feather 


boucle 


buckle 


eventail 


fan 


ombrelle 


parasol 


voile 


veil 


tablier 


apron 


ceinture . 


sash 


coiffure 


head dress 


col 


collar 


mitaines 


mittens 


bottines 


boots 


caoutchoucs 


rubber overshoes 



150 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



BIJOUTERIE ET PIERRES PRECIEUSES (JEWELRY 
AND PRECIOUS STONES) 



bijou 


jewel 


montre 


watch 


chaine 


chain 


bague 


ring 


alliance 


wedding ring 


boucle d'oreille 


ear-ring 


collier 


necklace 


la valliere 


neck chain 


bracelet 


bracelet 


broche 


brooch 


camee 


cameo 


une parure de corail 


a set of coral 


epingle 


pin 


boutons de manchettes 


cuff links 


epingle anglaise 


safety pin 


or 


gold 


argent 


silver 


aluminium 


aluminum 


medaillon 


locket 


diamant 


diamond 


topaze 


topaz 


saphir 


sapphire 


rubis 


ruby 


emeraude 


emerald 


cornaline 


cornelian 


agate 


agate 


corail 


coral 


perle 


pearl 


escarboucle 


carbuncle 


amethyste 


amethyst 


grenat 


garnet 


onix 


onix 


aigue "marine 


aqua marine (or) beryl 


jaspe 


jasper 


oeil de chat 


cat's eye 


lapis lazuli 


lapis lazuli 


nacre 


mother of pearl 


jais 


jet 


strass 


rhine stone 


opale 


opal 



ARTICLES DE TOILETTE (ARTICLES EC 


peigne 


comb 


savon 


soap 


brosse a cheveux 


hair brush 


brosse a habits 


coat brush 


brosse a chapeau 


hat brush 


brosse a dents 


tooth bru^h 


brosse a ongles 


nail brush 


blaireau 


shaving brush 


houppe 


powder puff 


poudre de viz 


rice powder 


poudre dentifrice 


tooth powder 


cure-dents 


tooth-pick 


chausse pied 


shoe horn 


tire-botte 


boot- jack 


rasoir 


razor 


cuir a rasoir 


razor-strop 


pinces 


tweezers 


cosmetique 


cosmetic 


pommade 


pomatum 


eau de cologne 


eau de cologne 




REPAS (MEALS) 


le dejeuner 


breakfast 


le second dejeuner 


second breakfast 


le diner 


dinner 


le gouter 


luncheon 


le souper 


supper 


un banquet 


a banquet 


un festin 


a feast 


une collation 


a collation 


un the 


tea 


un convive 


guest 


l'hote 


host 


la carte du jour 


the bill of fare 


le menu 


the bill of fare 


un couvert 


a cover 


du bceuf 


beef 


du mouton 


mutton 


du veau 


veal 


de l'agneau 


lamb 


du pore 


pork 


de la volaille 


poultry 


du gibier 


game 


du poisson 


fish 



151 



152 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



LE MANGER (FOOD) 



comestibles, vivres 


victuals 


nourriture 


nourishment 


regal 


treat 


plat 


dish 


morceau 


piece, morsel 


bouchee 


mouthful 


un repas 


a meal 


un service 


a course 


hors d'ceuvre froid 


cold side dishes 


hors d'ceuvre chaud 


warm side dishes 


entremets 


sweet dishes 


restaurant 


restaurant 


cuisinier 


cook 


chef de cuisine 


head cook 


cordon bleu 


excellent woman cook 


de la patisserie 


pastry 


du roti 


roast meat 


de la salade 


salad 


des ceufs 


eggs 


des legumes 


vegetables 


le dessert 


dessert 


une soupe, un potage 


soup 


carte du jour, le menu 


bill of fare 


faire la cuisine 


to do the cooking 


un couvert 


a cover 


une cuillere 


a spoon 


une fourchette 


a fork 


un couteau 


a knife 


une assiette 


a plate 


une tasse 


a cup 


une soucoupe 


a saucer 


un verre 


a glass 


une carafe 


a decanter 


une bouteille 


a bottle 


une table 


a table 


une chaise 


a chair 


gargon 


waiter 


cornichon 


pickle 


dragee 


sugar plum 


sucre 


sugar 


cassonade 


brown sugar 


sel 


salt 


poivre 


pepper 


moutarde 


mustard 



FOOD 



153 



raifort 


horseradish 


olive 


olive 


betterave 


sugar beet 


clou de girofle 


clove 


muscade 


nutmeg*' 


cannelle 


cinnamon 


gingembre 


ginger 


assaisonner 


to season 


huile 


oil 


vinaigre 


vinegar 


miel 


honey 


confiture 


sweet meat 


gelee a l'orange 


orange jelly 


gelee de groseilles 


red currant jelly 


confiture de groseilles 


red currant jam 


meringue a la creme 


meringue with cream 


meringue a la confiture 


meringue with jelly 


macaron 


macaroon 


massepain 


marchpane 


sorbet a la vanille 


vanilla sherbet 


marmelade d'abricots 


marmelade of apricots 


les quatre mendiants 


raisins, figs, nuts, and almonds 


fruits de primeur 


hot house fruit 


pruneaux 


stewed prunes 


compote de pommes 


stewed apples 


compote de peches 


stewed peaches 


une demi-tasse 


a half cup of coffee 


prune a l'eau de vie 


plum in brandy 


cigare 


cigar 


cure dent 


tooth-pick 


la carte a payer, l'addition 


bill, account 


la nappe 


table cloth 


la serviette 


napkin 


le pourboire 


the tip to the waiter 


la burette d'huile 


the oil cruet ___ 


la burette de vinaigre 


the vinegar cruet 


du the 


tea 



154 



CORRECT FRENCH BING 



Soupes, Potages (Soups) 



bouillon 
consomme 
pot-au-feu 
soupe grasse 
soupe maigre 
soupe au lait 
potage au vermicelle 
potage au riz 
potage au tapioca 
potage a la julienne 
potage au macaroni 
puree aux croutons 



saumon au gratm 

truite 

sole frite 

merlan au gratin 

morue a la Hollandaise 

raie au beurre noir 

homard en salade 

maquereau a la maitre d'hotel 

rouget grille 

matelote 

moule 

ecrevisses 

grenouilles 

crevettes 

hareng 

turbot 

alose 

brochet 

anguille a. la tartare 

goujon 

alose 

anguille 

carpe 

perche 

eperlan 

une douzaine d'huitres 

friture 

sardine fresh 

thon marine 

pate de foie gras 



broth 

gravy soup 
French soup 
meat soup 
herb soup 
milk soup 
vermicelli soup 
rice soup 
tapioca soup 
vegetable soup 
macaroni soup 
pea soup 

Poisson (Fish) 

salmon with crumbs 



trout 

fried sole 

whiting with crumbs 

cod a la Hollandaise 

skate fried in butter 

lobster salad 

mackerel a la maitre d'hotel 

red surmullet fried 

several kinds of fish stewed 

mussle 

craw fish 

frog legs 

shrimps 

herring 

turbot 

shad 

pike 

eel with tartar dressing 

fried gudgeon 

shad fish 

eel fish 

carp fish 

perch fish 

sprat fish 

12 oysters on the half shell 

fried fish 

fresh sardine 

pickled tunny 

pate de foie gras 



FOOD 



155 



beurre frais 


sweet butter 


radis 


radish 


une tranche de melon 


a slice of melon 


une tartine 


slice of bread spread with butter 


un sandwich 


a sandwich 


un morceau 


a piece 


une tranche 


a slice 


le fumet 


the flavor 


Pain et Patisserie 


{Bread and Pastry) 


farine 


flour 


levain 


yeast, leaven 


pate 


dough 


son 


bran 


pain 


bread 


pain blanc 


wheat bread 


pain de gruau 


fancy bread 


pain de menage 


home made bread 


pain de seigle 


rye bread 


pain bis 


brown bread 


pain tendre 


new bread 


pain rassis 


stale bread 


miche 


loaf 


griller 


to toast 


rotie 


toast 


petit pain 


roll 


croute 


crust 


mie 


crumb 


miettes 


crumbs 


boulanger 


baker 


patissier 


cake baker 


gateau 


cake 


pate 


meat pie 


pate de foie gras 


pate de foie gras 


pate chaud de legumes 


hot vegetable pie — ~ — 


vol au vent a la financiere 


(same in English) 


vol au vent de volaille 


vol au vent of fowls 


vol au vent de saumon 


vol au vent of salmon 


tarte de pommes 


apple pie 


tarte de cerises 


cherry pie 


tarte de prunes 


plum pie 


beignet de pommes 


apple fritter 


beignet d'abricots 


apricot fritter 


charlotte russe 


charlotte russe 


eclair au chocolat 


chocolate eclair 



156 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



chou a la creme 

croquette de riz 

plum pudding au rhum 

biscuit glace 

galette 

pain d'epice 

talmouse 



cream puff 
rice croquet 
(the same) 
iced sponge cake 
muffin 

ginger bread 
pot cheese cake 



Legumes 



puree de pommes de terre 

patates 

chou 

chou-fleur 

chou de Bruxelles 

epinard au jus 

chicoree a la creme 

salsifis frits 

asperge a la sauce 

petits pois au sucre 

artichaut a la poivrade 

laitue au jus 
haricots verts 
haricots blancs 
pomme de terre frite 
pomme de terre saute 
pomme de terre bouillie 
macaroni a Titalienne 



{Vegetables) 

mashed potatoes 
sweet potatoes 
cabbage 
cauliflower 
Brussels sprout 
spinach with gravy 
endive with cream 
fried oyster plants 
asparagus with sauce 
green peas with sugar 
artichoke with pepper and vine- 
gar 
lettuce with gravy 
string beans 
shelled beans 
fried potatoes 
stewed in butter 
boiled 
macaroni, Italian style 



Viand e (Meat) 



viande 

bouilli 

aloyan 

bceef a la mode 

bifteck aux pommes 

bifteck au cresson 

bifteck au beurre d'anchois 

bifteck aux oignons 

bifteck saignant 

bifteck bien cuit 

cotelette de mouton 

cotelette de veau 

cotelette a la maitre d'hotel 

cotelette jardiniere 



meat 
boiled 
sirloin 

beef a la mode 
beefsteak and potatoes 
beefsteak and cresses 
beefsteak with anchovy 
beefsteak with onions 
beefsteak rare 
beefsteak well done 
mutton chop 
veal chop 
(same) 
chop jardiniere 



FOOD 



157 



rosbif aux pommes 


roast beef and potatoes 


filet au Madere 


fillet with Madeira wine 


tete de veau a la vinaigrette 


calf's head with oil and vinegar 


cervelle frite 


fried brains ' 


fricandeau au jus 


fricandeau (veal) with gravy 


rognon a la brochette 


fricandeau with mushrooms 


fricandeau a l'oseille 


fricandeau with sorrel 


rognon a la brochette 


broiled kidney 


veau larde 


larded veal 


rouelle de veau 


fillet of veal 


longe de veau 


loin of veal 


pieds de veau 


calfs' feet 


langue de bceuf 


beef tongue 


epaule de mouton 


mutton shoulder 


gigot de mouton 


mutton leg 


selle de mouton 


saddle of mutton 


quartier d'agneau 


quarter of a lamb 


hachis 


hash 


etuvee 


stew 


andouille 


chitterling 


de la farce 


dressing 


boudin noir 


black pudding 


quartier de chevreuil 


quarter of venison 


croquette de gibier 


croquette of game 


lapin de garenne 


wild rabbit 


civet de lievre 


hare ragout 


saucisse 


sausage 


pied de cochon 


pig's foot 


jambon 


ham 


lard 


bacon 


gras 


fat 


maigre 


lean 


cotelette de pore frais 


pork chop 


jus 


gravy 


sauce 


sauce 


sauce blanche 


butter sauce r~*^~ 


Fromage (Cheese) 


fromage 


cheese 


fromage blanc 


pot cheese 


fromage de Gruyere 


swiss cheese 


fromage a la creme 


cream cheese 


fromage de Brie 


Brie cheese 


fromage de Hollande 


Dutch cheese 


fromage de Roquefort 


Roquefort cheese 


fromage de Camembert 


Camembert cheese 



158 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 



oeuf 

coque 

blanc 

jaime 

un oeuf a la coque 

un oeuf dur 

des oeufs brouilles 

des oeufs poches 

une omelette 

oeufs sur le plat 

omelette au lard 

omelette au rhum 

omelette soufflee 

crepe 

oeuf au lait 

oeuf a la neige 



dindon 
dinde truffee 
poulet 
poularde 
poulet en salade 
poulet en mayonnaise 
chapon truffe 
pigeon au petits pois 
pigeon a la crapaudine 
pigeon au petits oignons 
perdrix airx choux 
filet de perdreau 
tripes a la mode de caen 
foie de veau roti 
ris de veau au jus 
langue au pois 
perdreau aux truffes 
mau^^ttes en salmis 
cailles a la financiere 
canard sauvage 



egg 

shell 

white 

yellow 

a boiled tgg 

a hard boiled egg 

scrambled eggs 

poached eggs 

an omelet 

fried eggs 

an omelet with bacon 

an omelet with rum 

(same) 
pan cake 
custard 
floating island 

Volatile {Fowl, Poultry) 
turkey 

truffled turkey 
chicken 
fat chicken 
chicken salad 
mayonnaise of chicken 
capon with truffle dressing 
pigeon with green peas 
pigeon a la crapaudine 
pigeon with small onions 
partridge with cabbage 
fillet of partridge 
tripe 

roasted calf's liver 
sweet bread with gravy 
tongue with peas 
partridge with truffles 
ragout of larks 
quail a la financiere 
wild duck 



eau 

vin 

cidre 

biere 

eau de vie 

liqueur 



Boisson (Beverage) 
water 
wine 
cider 
beer 
brandy 
liquor 





BEVERAGES 


limonade 


lemonade 


orangeade 


orangeade 


eau de seltz 


soda water 


cafe a l'eau 


black coffee 


cafe au lait 


coffee and milk 


lait 


milk 


creme 


cream 


petit lait 


butter milk, whey 


eau sucree 


sugar and water 


anisette 


caraway seed liquor 


cassis 


cassis 


cognac 


cognac 


rhum 


rum 


sirop 


syrup 


genievre 


gin 


esprit de vin 


spirits 


du vin blanc 


white wine 


du vin rouge 


red wine 


du vin doux 


sweet wine 


du vin muscat 


muscatel wine 


du vin de Bordeaux 


claret wine 


du vin de Bourgogne 


Burgundy wine 


du vin de Champagne 


champagne wine 


du vin de Malaga 


Malaga wine 


du vin d' Oporto 


Port wine 


du vin Macon 


Macon wine 


du vin Madere 


Madeira wine 


du vin Xeres 


Sherry wine 


du vin Malvoisie 


Malmsey wine 


de l'eau rougie 


wine and water 


eau de puits 


well water 


eau de pompe 


pump water 


eau de source 


spring water 



159 



OBSERVATION 



The French use only two ways of greeting each other. They 
say "Bonjour" (good day) for good morning, good afternoon, 
good day, as long as there is daylight, and "Bonsoir" (good 
evening, also good night) when artificial light is necessary. 

Bonne nuit (good night's rest) is used only with intimate 
friends, when parting before retiring. 



160 CORRECT FRENCH BING 



THE MARSEILLAISE 

Ye sons of France, awake to glory, 

Hark, hark, what myriads bid you rise, 
Your children, wives, and grandsires hoary, 

Behold their tears and hear their cries ! 
Shall hateful tyrants, mischief breeding, 

With hireling hosts, a ruffian band, 
Affright and desolate the land, 

While peace and liberty lay bleeding? 

To arms, to arms, ye brave ! 

Th' avenging sword unsheath ! 
March on, march on, all hearts resolved 

To victory or death. 

Now, now the dangerous storm is scowling 

With treacherous kings, confederate, rise; 
The dogs of war, let loose, are howling, 

And lo ! our fields and cities blaze. 
And we basely view the ruin, 

While lawless force, with guilty stride, 
Spreads desolation far and wide, 

With crimes and blood his hands embruing? 

With luxury and pride surrounded, 

The vile, insatiate despots dare, 
Their thirst of power and gold unbounded, 

To mete and vend the light and air ; 
Like beasts of burden would they load us, 

Like gods would bid their slaves adore : 
But man is man, and who is more ? 

Then, shall they longer lash and goad us ? 

O Liberty, can man resign thee ! 

Once having felt thy gen'rous flame ? 
Can dungeon, bolts, and bars confine thee, 

Or whips thy noble spirit tame ? 
Too long the world has wept, bewailing 

That falsehood's dagger tyrants wield; 
But freedom is our sword and shield, 

And all their arts are unavailing. 



THE MARSEIUvAISE 161 

LA MARSEILLAISE 

Allons enfants de la patrie, 
Le jour de gloire est arrive; 
Contre nous de la tyrannie 
L'etendard sanglant est leve 
L'etendard sanglant est leve 
Entendez-vous dans ces campagnes 
Mugir ces f eroces soldats ? 
lis viennent j usque dans nos bras 
Egorger nos fils, nos compagnes ! 

Aux armes, citoyens ! formez vos batalllons ! 

Marchons, marchons ! 
Ou'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons ! 

Que veut cette horde d'esclaves 
De traitres de rois conjures? 
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves, 
Ces fers des longtemps prepares? 
Ces fers des longtemps prepares? 
Frangais, pour nous ah ! quel outrage ! 
Quels transports il doit exciter ! 
C'est nous qu'on ose mediter 
De rendre a l'antique esclavage. 

Quoi ! ces cohortes etrangeres 

Feraient la loi dans nos foyers ? 

Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires 

Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ? 

Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ? 

Grand Dieu ! par des mains enchainees 

Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient ! 

De vils despotes deviendraient 

Les maitres de nos destinees ! --_. — . 

Tremblez, tyrans ! et vous perfides, 
L'opprobre de tous les partis, 
Tremblez! vos pro jets parricides 
Vont enfin recevoir leur prix ! 
Vont enfin recevoir leur prix ! 
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre 
S'ils tombent, nos jeunes heros, 
La France en produit de nouveaux 
Contre vous tout prets a se battre ! 



162 CORRECT FRENCH — BIN'G 

Frangais, en guerriers magnanimes, 
Portez ou retenez vos coups ; 
Epargnez ces tristes victimes 
A regret s'armant contre nous 
A regret s'armant contre nous 
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires 
Mais les complices de Bouille 
Tous ces tigres qui sans pitie 
Dechirent le sein de leurs meres ! 

Nous entrerons dans la carriere 
Quant nos aines n'y seront plus ; 
Nous y trouverons leur poussiere 
Et la trace de leurs vertus ! 
Et la trace de leurs vertus ! 
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre 
Que de partager leur cercueil 
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil 
De les venger ou de les suivre ! 

Amour sacre de la Patrie, 

Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs : 

Liberte, Liberte cherie, 

Combats avec tes defenseurs ! 

Combats avec tes defenseurs ! 

Sous nos drapeaux que la Victoire 

Accoure a tes males accents ; 

Que tes ennemis expirants 

Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire ! 

Aux armes, citoyens ! formez vos bataillons ! 

Marchons, marchons ! 
Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons ! 

— Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760-1836), 



CONTENTS 
(Table des Matter es) 

page; 

Preface 3 

The Lord's Prayer 5 

Alphabet 6,7 

Rule for Reading 8 

Consonants 9 

Accents — Simple Vowels — E 11 

e unaccented 12 

e with the acute accent 14 

e with the grave accent 15 

e with the circumflex accent 17 

er — ez — ed 20 

A 21 

1 22 

23 

U 25 

Y 27 

Compound Vowels 29 

ai 30 

ei — au — eau 31 

eu — ceu 32 

oi — ce 33 

ou — ui — oui — Liquid Sounds 34 

ill 35 

Exception 36 

ail — aill — eil — eill 37 

euil — euill — ceil — ceill — ouil — ouill 38 

Nasal Sounds — an — ean — am — en — em 39 

Exceptions — ien 40 

Observation 41 

in — im — ym — yn — ain — aim — ein ~,^ — _42 

on — eon — om I . . 43 

Exceptions 44 

un — eun — um 45 

Consonants — B — C 46 

Ch 47 

D — F 48 

G — Gn 49 

H — J — K — L 50 

M — N — P 51 

O — R. . : 52 



164 CORRECT FRENCH — BING 

PAGE 

S 53 

T 54 

V — X — Z. . 56 

The Apostrophe 57 

The Hyphen — The Cedilla 58 

The Diaeresis — Punctuation 59 

Numerals 60 

Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers 62 

Observatons 64 

Numbers 65 

Ordinal Numbers, when used 66 

Adverbs 67 

The Time 68 

Proportional and Fractional Numbers 69 

The Metric System 70 

Coins — Weights 71 

Measures 72 

Verbs — Auxiliary Verb To Have 73 

Auxiliary Verb To Be 78 

The Four Conjugations 82 

First Conjugation in er 83 

Second Conjugation in ir 89 

Third Conjugation in oir 93 

Fourth Conjugation in re 97 

Irregular Verb Aller (to go) 101 

Irregular Verb Envoyer (to send) 104 

On the Use of Avoir (to have) and Etre (to be) as Auxi- 
liaries 107 

Orthographic Irregularities 107 

Formation of the Tenses 109 

Participles, Present and Past Ill 

Observation 113 

Idiomatical Expressions 114 

The Ten Parts of Speech 115 

Gesgxfd Rule on Genders 116 

The Definite Article 117 

The Partitive Article 118 

The Indefinite Article — The Adjectives 119 

Demonstrative Adjectives — Possessive Adjectives 122 

Remark 123 

Indefinite Adjectives — Degrees of Comparison 124 

Formation of Verbs from Adjectives 126 

Adjectives With Two Meanings 128 

Formation of the Plural of Nouns 130 

Nouns with Two Plural Forms — Linking of Words 131 



CORRECT FRENCH — BING 165 

PAGE 

Consonants 132 

Nouns Masculine in One Signification and Feminine in 

Another 134 

Nouns Having a Distinct Form for the Feminine 136 

Nouns Used Only in the Plural 137 

Possessive Pronouns — Personal Pronouns 138 

The Seasons — Days of the Week — Months 140 

Verbs Used Negatively — Neuter Verbs 141 

Interrogative Form 142 

Reflective Verbs 143 

Passive Verbs — Preposition 144 

Conjunction — Interjection. 145 

Relationship 146 

Apparel for Gentlemen 147 

Apparel for Ladies 149 

Jewelry and Precious Stones 150 

Food 151 

Soups — ■ Fish 154 

Bread and Pastry 155 

Vegetables — Meat 156 

Cheese — Fowl 157 

Beverages 158 

The Marseillaise . 160 

La Marseillaise 161 



